Cracks In The Walls

[tartempion]

One year we moved in our newly built house and the walls are full of cracks.

We had the builder scrap them and fill them many times but they just come back.

So my question is this just an issue of bad finsihing or should I worry?

What is causing the cracks? Not enough sand added to cement?

If there is not much to worry about I will put wallpaper on all walls to hide the ugly cracks.

An other worrying thing is that sometimes I hear a short noise coming somewhere from the roof (metal structure) like "tok"

Thids happens sometimes several times a day, sometimes once a week.

Any clues? The place falling apart?

Edited March 4, 2008 by tartempion

[Naam]

One year we moved in our newly built house and the walls are full of cracks.

We had the builder scrap them and fill them many times but they just come back.

So my question is this just an issue of bad finsihing or should I worry?

What is causing the cracks? Not enough sand added to cement?

If there is not much to worry about I will put wallpaper on all walls to hide the ugly cracks.

An other worrying thing is that sometimes I hear a short noise coming somewhere from the roof (metal structure) like "tok"

Thids happens sometimes several times a day, sometimes once a week.

Any clues? The place falling apart?

even with proper foundations and soil compacting cracks can occur. be patient, wait and have the cracks repaired after another few months. the sound from the steel roof structure is caused by temperature differences (metal expanding and contracting). nothing to worry about. we have a similar problem. in very cool nights the sound is like gunshots in rare cases like a cannon blasting off.

[quiksilva]

It's probably normal settlement as Naam mentioned, and soil is a liquid of sorts and it takes time for a house to settle fully, sometimes a couple of years.

Nevertheless describe the cracks, are they noticeably larger at the bottom or at the top, or are they roughly the same width?

[rgs2001uk]

i agree with both the doctor and quicksilvas replies.

all houses need a settling in/bedding down period of at least a year to 18 months.

have you just moved into the house? if so wait for about one year and give the house a chance to settle before doing any repairs.

is the house on a new housing estate? close to a road, heavy traffic construction work going on nearby, all of which will contribute.

how wide are the cracks, are they actually cracks in the wall or just unsightly hairlines on the wall?

most houses in thailand are steel framed, with a steel roof, the temperature differential is causing the noise you talk of, usually heard at night after the temperature has dropped.

i also suggest talking with neighbours, i suspect they will have the same problems.

[Gary A]

i agree with both the doctor and quicksilvas replies.

all houses need a settling in/bedding down period of at least a year to 18 months.

have you just moved into the house? if so wait for about one year and give the house a chance to settle before doing any repairs.

is the house on a new housing estate? close to a road, heavy traffic construction work going on nearby, all of which will contribute.

how wide are the cracks, are they actually cracks in the wall or just unsightly hairlines on the wall?

most houses in thailand are steel framed, with a steel roof, the temperature differential is causing the noise you talk of, usually heard at night after the temperature has dropped.

i also suggest talking with neighbours, i suspect they will have the same problems.

I agree there is not enough information. Are the cracks the spider web type caused by poor rendering or are they actually structural cracks. The spider web type are nothing serious and after things dry out they can be filled or wall papered over. Structural cracks are entirely a different matter.

[Rimmer]

SNIP

most houses in thailand are steel framed, with a steel roof, the temperature differential is causing the noise you talk of, usually heard at night after the temperature has dropped.

Don't think so! Standard building practice here is to cast concrete posts with re enforcing bars in them at each corner (Sow Poons) then fill the walls with blocks, either red brick or more lately Q Con block. The sow poons are usually tied together at first floor level with a cast beam, At roof level steel is often welded to the sow poon re bars to tie them together.

Roof Structure are, as you say usually steel under a C Pack style roof.

If a crack goes through both sides of the wall it's most likely settlement cracks and they will often follow the line of a cast beam. But if the cracks are one side only then the builder maybe used too much water in his mix when he screeded over the blocks. Or the cement screed dried out too quickly. Sika make a very good product to fill cracks in walls, I think it's their number 201 from memory.

[tartempion]

Thanks for the replies.

Spiderweb cracks they are, all over the place, looks really ugly on some walls, like a cheap place.

A friend told me possibly because not enough sand added to the cement.

So it's cosmetic.

Had the builder visit the house and all he could say was "first house I built where this occurs" Yeah.

Anyway, decided to cover with wallpaper somewhere in the near future.