Please help me take a look at this house. It is the only ground-floor unit in this location. There is a crack in the upper-right corner of the window, and the wall surface appears to have been swollen by water, with some rust stains. The exterior wall is rendered and has some noticeable fine cracks.
Should I Be Worried on This Crack?
photos:
https://freeimage.host/i/CHense9
https://freeimage.host/i/CHeni57
https://freeimage.host/i/CHenZzu
Also take a look at not just the crack in the cornices but the expanding paint running down the side of the window.
My opinion it hasn't been rectified, but you can confirm with a moisture metre or if you're truly serious about the property get a pro in to inspect it.
It could be a cheap job, but unlikely these days…
OP - This is the answer. The movement is primarily localised to around the lintel currently as it expands due to the corrosion product generation and weakening that will occur. This is something that is going to be a hell of a lot easier and cheaper to fix in the near term than long term - if the water ingress issue can be fixed, the lintel may be able to be saved, but I wouldn't be banking on it.
It's hard to tell exactly where the water is coming from looking at this photo, but it's clearly from above - If i had to guess I would say it's something like the window above not draining out properly, dripping in to the cavity and then getting to the lintel below - if this property has been re-rendered then that becomes more likely. Potentially even a small leak from a service pipe running in the slab or something in the property above.
Edit: Just wanted to iterate something from below, this isn't a "walk away" issue, it's a try to substantiate the issue, potentially negotiate a bit on price/get it resolved beforehand but needs to be dealt with in the near term issue, particularly as structural problems do not look significant currently.
Having been through a similar issue, lintel corrosion was my first thought too.
I am not a builder so dont take this as anything other then my opinion
'Cracks' happen to almost all buildings over time as the building settles in and temprature can cause cracks as things expand and retract
however the moisture you are mentioning is a 'worry' as water has to come from somewhere? it might be worth getting a builder to have a look at it as it could be a wider structural problem or a leak in the pipes
at the very 'least' i'd monitor it see if it gets wider or longer but 'cracks' are not necessarily anything to be 'worried about' but water certainly is
*about
(I was expecting something different).
But yes. Find out about that crack before you buy it.
Also make sure that any water issues have been sorted out. If the damage you mention is just cosmetic, that might be ok, but if it is an unrectified or ongoing issue, that could end up costing you a fortune and probably won't be covered by insurance if something fails.
Finding Fractured Sections?
Yes. Fissures Facilitate Scares.
It’s repairable, but will probably be a couple grand. Need to setup props, scaffolding, brace it up b4 removing old lintel and replacing, re-render etc. don’t let it be a deterrent in not consider buying it. All houses have issues, some big some small. This isn’t enough to walk away from imo. I’ve seen worse and wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, this isn’t one of them. If anything get a quote to get an idea.
Nice view by the way
Did you look at his crack?
Is he a plumber ?
Yeah should buy it anyway before Tony Abbott becomes PM again and brings back a 100% CGT discount specifically for investment properties.
Cracks of less than 4mm are natural movement
Ask body corp/strata for advice.
It’s a not a unit/apartment.
I have never head of house ground floor unit. Have you?
Op has…
…at this house… and …. ground-floor unit
Maybe. What did AI say?
Yes you should be worried.
Looks like water is penetrating the render, and the flashing around the windows is also failing.
Based on the rust it's corroding the lintel and causing the render to crack.