DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi
I don't live in the UK, but watching BBC, it seems that you have specialists for almost every conceivable job out there. Here in SA, everyone is a jack-of-all-trades - especially in the building industry. I bought a house that was built in 1962 and there is a mother of a crack running from the ceiling to the floor in a part that was added on later. I have had 6 different contractors out, and they all seem to have their own theory of how to fix the crack. Is there someone out there who can PLEASE give me professional advice?
Alison

Hi Alison,
without being able to see the crack in question it is not really safe to say, How long has it been there? Has it got bigger in the last six months? is the house built from brick, stone concreate, timber etc? is the in side of the house plasterd or bare wall? the list of things we in the uk would need to know to ans your question would take for ever to ask. my advise to you is.... do your reserch on the contractors, check out there reputation by past work refs, if they can't or won't supply you with any then don't trust them.
yours Tony

Hi Alison, we have people with experiance to fix things, because most of our buildings are built with faults.
However, the first thing is to find out if the crack is moving, getting worse.
You do this, by cementing some pieces of scrap glass across the crack an wait to see if it brakes.
I would guess. The builder has not matched the foundation of the extension to the original building. The extension is moving away.
We have this problem a lot in England where, bay windows, without proper foundations, were stuck on the front of houses and years later they are falling away.

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If cracks in drywall or plaster are deeper than a 1/4 inch, you will have better success if you first fill the the crevice with a filler compound prior to taping with joint compound. Mix the compound as per the manufacturer's instructions. Fill the crack until it is flush with the existing wall.

Look out for subsidence if it's deep cracks! This can be a big problem, but if they're not so deep a bit of filler can fix this (buildings expand and contract which are now accommodated during the construction stages if you have a good architect and contractor) I will be posting lots of tips for home renovation, new build and interior design and I'm also looking for some input on design projects I'm currently working on so would love if you could give suggestions.