I have had a b and P done and they have found an old, small (1-3mm )crakc in some external bricks. They have said it is probably nothing but recomment I get a structural engineer to look at it. The report will cost between $250 and $900. It is most likely cosmetic, should I bother with a structural engineer?
Do you know what soil the premises is built on top of? What sort of foundations does it have? How old is the house etc?
Wouldn't be that worried about it.
Would only be concerned if it was 10-30mm not 1-3mm
or if it had grown by 1-3mm in a week etc.
The house is a 20 year old brick home built on a slab on the ground. The vendor has offered to pay half of the fee to avoid the deal falling over. I'm not that worried either. Sometimes it is hard to just trust your gut and make a decision.
It is all about risk. This is my first investment home, so trying to be unemotional and be clever.
wilko1 wrote:Wouldn't be that worried about it.Would only be concerned if it was 10-30mm not 1-3mm
or if it had grown by 1-3mm in a week etc.
Ditto…. Extremely common occurrence.
Our general rule of thumb with cracking brick is to get an engineer to take a look if the cracks are through more than 3 bricks and doesn't follow the mortar lines. Very slight cracking is pretty normal on a 20 year old brick home. In the states, particularly my market in Atlanta, we had an issue with builders covered over building debris rather than carting it off and eventually homes were built over top of the debris. This led to settling issues and sinkholes later on. Unless the cracking is through the bricks, I wouldn't be concerned about it. Good luck with the house! Andy
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