Is this a developing and costly problem? Please help!

[Lloydy1975]

I’m looking to buy a period property and this one truly is a charm, however, upon viewing there are noticeable cracks underneath the windows which are cause for concern. This cracks are only visible from the outside, but the room affected appears to have been modernised so the problem may not be visible due to interior modernisation.

Should I be concerned? Should I no longer consider purchasing this property? Any advice is appreciated and welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

[Cubist]

Those cracks are indicative of a failure of the lintel immediately above the bay window. Sadly the canopy of the bay needs to come off to allow replacement of the lintel and repair of the brickwork immediately above before replacement of the canopy. If you choose to proceed with the purchase be sure to get an estimate from a couple of reputable builders for your use to negotiate a price reduction with the vendor.

 

[Kearn]

As Cubist says… likely caused by either poor flat roof weather detailing causing rot to structural timbers, or possibly my guess, the bay was a later addition, not adequately dealt with at the time of insertion.

Bays are also troublesome as they rarely have the same level of footings as the main building, and therefore you’ll find weak points at the intersections as they don’t move as one with the main building.

The word ‘modernised’ is usually enough to get me running…!