An owner contacted SERL based on our excellent Google reviews.
The client sought our expertise in structural engineers’ reports, especially within the South-West London area. They needed reassurance after observing several cracks around the bay window in the master bedroom.
In response to the client’s requirements our qualified Chartered Structural Engineer recommended a Specific Structural Inspection report.
SERL offers two types of structural reports:
1) A localised, specific, and limited Specific Structural Inspection (SSI) report or a Structural Engineers Defect Report.
2) A broader General Structural Inspection Report (GSI) or Structural Engineers General Movement Report which focuses only on matters of cracking and movement.
The house was a traditional family residence constructed in the late 1920s to early 1930s, featuring solid brick exterior walls and suspended timber floors and framework.
Distinctive features included a square brick bay at the ground floor, contrasting with a smaller, angular bay at the first floor.
The first floor is typically made of clinker concrete and sits atop the lightweight timber structure of the ground floor bay’s lean-to roof, and therefore, not lining up with the lower walls.
Following our comprehensive inspection the bay window was found to be in overall good condition, though vertical cracks had formed where the angled bay joined the main house. This had resulted from insufficient mechanical tying in the original construction. Consequently, plaster and render surfaces were prone to occasional cracking.
Importantly, the ground-floor solid bay had maintained a strong contact with the front elevation, showing no evidence of settlement or subsidence.
Our report confirmed that the cracks could be easily repaired using resin injection techniques, ensuring the wall remained strong and watertight, and costing only a few hundred pounds.
The client was relieved to discover that the cracking was not due to settlement or subsidence but was a maintenance issue. This meant the owners did not need to involve their building insurers, avoiding any potential impact on their insurance premiums.