Cracks in exterior render

[Aiden]

Our offer on an old (we think 1940/1950s)rendered detached house has just been accepted and we are now beginning to look at it more closely. Basically it has been untouched we reckon for about 30 years inside but the render outside has been replaced/skimmed in the last 10 or so. There are cracks in the rendering in various places (upwards and diagonally from window corners, door frames etc and a few horizontal ones on an extension to one of the bedrooms. The house is built on sandy soil. Of course, we will get a full Building Survey, but we were wondering if anyone can at least reassure us that these cracks do not necessarily mean unpinning or complete rebuild required.

[mrcheerful]

no-one could offer that advice without wasting their time and yours.

mrcheerful

[Grunff]

Cracks in render are perfectly normal, especially in older houses. They are caused by movememt in the walls. Whether the movement is anything to worry about really depends on the extent.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "Building Survey", but unless it's a structural survey, it's really of little value as far as the condition of your walls are concerned. What you need is a structural survey, carried out by a structural engineer.

Having said all that, when we bought our 1930s house 2.5 years ago, we knew that there had been a lot of movement, but weren't too bothered by it. When I say a lot, I mean *a lot* - the back wall is about an inch further away from the house than it was when it was built, and a little further down.

[BillV]

No-one could give you that reassurance ... I would like to add that once render cracks and allows water to get behind it, then it won't last long after that because the water freezes behind the render in winter and pushes large chunks off.

[N. Thornton]

Cracks radiating from window corners indicate somethings amiss. But more than that I couldnt say. Building movement does not imply the need for rebuild or underpin, in most cases. I think you need a structural survey to see whats going on.

Regards, NT

[Aiden]

Thanks all, at least we can feel it isn't definitely a problem but, yes, no question, a Structural Engineer wil be consulted.

[Conrad Edwards]

How much render has been replaced/skimmed? You might ask yourself why someone has recently rendered the outside, but left the inside untouched....perhaps to hide a problem? Wouldn't a few thousand £ have been better spent inside rather than on rendering?