Cracks in a Wyndham Vale home: clay, water or workmanship?
How a defect investigation separates normal movement from a real problem, and finds what caused it.
In short: Clay gets the blame for most cracks. Sometimes it deserves it, and sometimes it is a gutter.
Measuring the crack
We measure width and pattern and categorise the crack under the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2015. Category 0 and 1 are hairline. Category 3 and above suggest real movement.
Reading the pattern
Step cracking along mortar joints, cracks at window corners and doors that start sticking often point to movement under the slab.
Finding the water
Clay moves when its moisture changes. Disconnected drains, overflowing gutters and gardens watered against the slab all change it on one side.
Workmanship
Sometimes the cause is how the wall was built: missing articulation joints, poor mortar or flashings not set into the brickwork.
What the report gives you
A clear description of the cracking, the likely cause and what kind of specialist or repair is needed next.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Wyndham Vale. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
