Crack analysis and assessment

Cracking has many innocent causes and a few serious ones, and the assessment is largely a process of elimination. Thermal expansion and contraction, drying shrinkage in new plaster and screed, minor settlement of a recent build, and lintel or bearing issues over openings account for most of what we see. The serious causes, foundation subsidence or heave, wall tie corrosion, roof spread pushing walls out, overloaded or undersized beams, and sulphate attack in floors, are the minority but are the reason the analysis is worth doing.

We build the diagnosis from the whole picture, not one crack. The pattern across the building, the history of alterations, the presence of trees or drains, the age and construction, and any related signs such as sloping floors or bulging walls, together point to a cause. Where the surface evidence is ambiguous, we say what would resolve it, opening up, a trial pit, or a period of monitoring, rather than committing to a cause we cannot yet support.

The question owners most want answered is whether the crack is finished or still growing. A crack that opened years ago and has been stable since is a repair job; one that is actively widening needs its cause addressed first, or the repair will simply crack again. Where this is not clear from a single visit, we fit crack monitors or tell-tales and read them over time to measure any ongoing movement before recommending works.

Once cause and activity are established, the remedy follows logically, from simple filling and redecoration, through crack stitching and re-tying of walls, to structural repair where the foundation or a member is at fault. We put this in a clear report that says plainly whether you should worry, backed by calculations where capacity is involved. We assess cracking across the UK and provide remote analysis with a coordinated site visit for European clients.