Rear elevation of the cottage is where some of the more concerning cracks were located. Interestingly the rear wall of the property formed the boundary with the neighbouring property behind.
There had been some works on the utility room opening. The original lintel had been replaced with a concrete one, and the timber bearers were spongy and rotten.
Above the window in the side elevation we noticed that the lintel was seriously rotten and there was a lot of cracking throughout the elevation.
Along the rear elevation the neighbour had positioned a composting bin against the wall. Upon further investigation we noticed there was render missing leaving cobb exposed to the environment.
There were a number of large cracks across the rear elevation. It is believed they may be just cracks in the cementitious render and not structural. However, more invasive investigations were recommended.
We were instructed by our client to perform a Visual Structural Survey on the property in question. Located in the small village of Talskiddy just outside of St Columb Major the property is a small two bed cottage.
The cottage was primarily built from cobb, a traditional construction material used throughout Cornwall and the South West. Our client had raised some concerns regarding several cracks that had been noticed in various locations throughout the property.
Cobb is often found in older properties but can be used in newer builds as a more environmentally sensitive material.
The largest crack was the junction between the original part of the building and the extension.
The rear elevation is where the majority of cracks were noticed. We were informed that the property had been extended at some point, and it was where this new extension met the original property that the largest crack was noticed.
The extension is believed to have been constructed from concrete blocks. Cracking between different material types is common as they have different thermal properties, and as such behave differently during hotter and colder temperatures.
We noticed during the inspection that the render on the property was of a cementitious nature. This is a common material used for rendering properties, however, cementitious renders are not good for cobb buildings as they cause the cobb to dry out to such an extent that it is no longer structurally safe.
This was a cause for concern and required further investigation.
A possible cause of the cracking could be a drain we noticed on the far corner of the rear elevation. This drain emptied straight onto the ground and as such caused the surround soil to be constantly saturated.
This is especially bad as it could mean that the foundations were suffering from movement due to saturated soil. This in turn would cause the side elevation to want to pull away from the rest of the property and would cause cracks at the weakest point (the junction between old and new).
We recommend that the client look into having the drain fixed if they decided to proceed with the purchase. A soakaway would be a good option, however it would mean negotiations with the neighbour who’s land the drain emptied onto.
The drain in the far rear corner of the building was concerning as it emptied straight onto the ground.
The window in the side elevation was heavily cracked around the lintel with it being rotten and soft to the touch.
Investigating further we established that the drain emptied onto a neighbours property. Looking at the side elevation of the cottage we noticed some extensive cracking especially around the lintel above the window.
We found the lintel to be heavily rotten and spongy to the touch. This is not surprising as the cementitious render would prevent any moisture from evaporating and the sodden soil would mean the cobb stayed damp for extended periods of time.
We were informed by the neighbour that around 15 years ago the front corner of the cottage had collapsed and had been re-built in cement block. We do not know why this collapse occurred and it is still concerning, we recommended that further investigations be done to try to determine the cause of this.
Around the front of the property, we noticed that there was some softer, spongy timber being used as bearers underneath the lintel over the utility opening.
This was highlighted as an issue and it was recommended that further works be done to replace the timber bearers, and invasive works be undertaken to resolve the rotting timber issue.
Upon inspecting the interior, we noted that it was in relatively good condition. Aside from one or two small cracks in the lime render there was little of concern.
It was upon inspecting the interior that we drew the conclusion that the larger exterior cracks were most likely in the render instead of a structural crack. If it was a structural crack we would have expected to have seen it on the inside also.
Whilst we cannot guarantee that the large crack around the rear was not due to structural movement, we were less concerned with it after the interior inspection.
In conclusion, we felt as though the property had some concerning issues varying from a low risk to a high risk. We outlined our recommendations to our client regarding improvement works to the property in a simple to digest manner, using a unique scaling system we feel best illustrates the severity of identified issues. Our main recommendation was that the cementitious render be removed from around the property and replaced with lime render.
A lime render allows the cobb to breath, reducing the risk of it drying out too much or staying wet for too long. The client was very satisfied with the results and the works took no longer than a week from inspection to issuing of our findings.
We always work to satisfy our clients, and we understand that time is of the essence when it comes to a property purchase, as such we will always do our utmost to work to a time scale that suits your needs. To find out how our services can benefit you, please get in touch with us for a discussion on the services we offer.