Crack in kitchen floor of prospective house purchase

[DSLiverpool]

This is the floor of a house we’re looking to buy. It’s a much extended bungalow and it’s just confusing me how it’s gone like it is the floor still seems flat but obviously something’s happened. Is anybody clever? Suss it out ?

[mikees]

Under floor heating over heat? The right hand bottom crack looks a bit to straight to be structural . Maybe. I think you’d have to have the floor up. Are the sellers not worried or forth coming?

[DSLiverpool]

First viewing but love it so I’ll ask - good shout on the underfloor heating

[Watcher of the skies]

It hasn't been extended over an inspection cover has it? Looks about the right size and shape.

[DSLiverpool]

Watcher of the skies said:

It hasn't been extended over an inspection cover has it? Looks about the right size and shape.

It’s very much been extended but another great possibility thank you

[Chumley.mouse]

It could be where a wall has been removed and some shrinkage has occurred in the floor where its been filled in ?

[DSLiverpool]

I’ll be asking questions, lots to consider as it’s got a cess pit, heat pump, solar, batteries - a bloody complicated house

[Skyedriver]

Hi, when was the house built?
Red shale fill under floors was common practice for a while until they realised it reacted with the ground water and (generally) expanded.
There's only one cure.

[Lotobear]

Chumley.mouse said:

It could be where a wall has been removed and some shrinkage has occurred in the floor where its been filled in ?

My immediate thought too

[Lotobear]

Skyedriver said:

Hi, when was the house built?
Red shale fill under floors was common practice for a while until they realised it reacted with the ground water and (generally) expanded.
There's only one cure.

You’d see classic heave to the floor and brickwork pushed out externally below dpc

[DSLiverpool]

It’s an old cottage now Frankensteins monster! Beautifully done but I’ll use a good surveyor

[Steve H]

DSLiverpool said:

It s an old cottage now Frankensteins monster! Beautifully done but I ll use a good surveyor

Little cracks aren’t unusual in houses that have been built in lots of stages.

Our place has had at least four main developments over almost two centuries; putting something new in next to old needs time to settle down and if you can’t wait a couple of years before continuing you can get cosmetic marks like that.

[gangzoom]

mikees said:

Under floor heating over heat? The right hand bottom crack looks a bit to straight to be structural . Maybe. I think you d have to have the floor up. Are the sellers not worried or forth coming?

There is a radiator in the picture so would be odd to have both underfloor heating and a radiator. What ever the cause those tiles needs lifting and replacing, £30-50/sqm for new tiles, same again for labour, that's a reasonable amount to negotiate off the price.

[gangzoom]

Steve H said:

Our place has had at least four main developments over almost two centuries; putting something new in next to old needs time to settle down and if you can t wait a couple of years before continuing you can get cosmetic marks like that.

Those cracks are more than cosmetic, surely you need to replace those tiles.

[DSLiverpool]

gangzoom said:

There is a radiator in the picture so would be odd to have both underfloor heating and a radiator. What ever the cause those tiles needs lifting and replacing, £30-50/sqm for new tiles, same again for labour, that's a reasonable amount to negotiate off the price.

USA couple going home so lots of potential inc a John Deer tractor mower :-)

[Steve H]

gangzoom said:

Steve H said:

Our place has had at least four main developments over almost two centuries; putting something new in next to old needs time to settle down and if you can t wait a couple of years before continuing you can get cosmetic marks like that.

Those cracks are more than cosmetic, surely you need to replace those tiles.

Maybe but it doesn’t instantly suggest anything more serious to me which I would think is the main question when it comes to a prospective house purchase.

[E-bmw]

I wouldn't be too concerned, although you will need to budget to dig up and replace the floor with something a bit more "flexible" to stop it happening again.

[Familymad]

Our kitchen underfloor was zoned due to the size of the breakfast area. They claimed it wouldn’t crack, but it did. Happened in first 3 months and hasn’t moved since.
Could chip the flooring up and lay a floating floor onto it. But the concrete slab has probably done all
It’s moving now and you could tile over again with no issues ?

[Murph7355]

How old is the house? And how long ago were the tiles laid?

What construction was used for the floor? (Their documents for it should show this).

I once tried porcelain tiles in an old house. Can be a nightmare due to normal movement. Used Amtico/Karndean since.

[Griffith4ever]

That can happen with the substrate isn't "sound" - i.e. hardboard underneath or similar and wasnt nailed down well enough. I know this because I did it with Travertine in my last place. Laid it down on hardboard that was already there - thought I'd nailed it down well, but after about 3 or 4 years long cracks like those started to appear.