Crack & Movement Diagnosis
Not every crack means something serious, but it’s rarely obvious which is which from looking at it yourself. This section covers how to read cracks and movement in a property: what different crack patterns usually mean, when it’s cosmetic and when it needs looking at, and what a Chartered Structural Engineer checks for that a general inspection might miss.
Settlement is downward movement caused by the weight of the building compressing the ground beneath it. Subsidence is downward movement of the ground itself, for reasons that have nothing to do with the building’s weight. The distinction matters because subsidence is usually covered by buildings insurance and settlement usually is not. Both words describe a…
Diagonal cracks in brickwork are usually caused by differential movement in the foundations, meaning one part of the building has moved more than another. The crack runs diagonally because it follows the weakest path through the mortar joints. Not all diagonal cracks are serious. Width, location and whether the crack is still moving determine whether…
Most cracks in walls are cosmetic, caused by ordinary settling, plaster shrinkage, or materials drying out, and don’t mean anything is structurally wrong. But some cracks are a sign of real movement, and the only way to know which you’re looking at is to understand what to check. Cosmetic cracks vs structural cracks Hairline cracks…
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