Who is responsible for settlement cracks after recent work?

Question

We've had some work done on the house downstairs recently, essentially converted the whole thing to open plan. Looks great and I thought the builder was good and reputable. But now we've got some cracks upstairs and people are telling me it could be because the builder did a bad job? Can anyone who does this kind of thing for a living lay it out for me? Could this be a normal thing, or should I get in touch with insurance about something like this?

Russ · Accepted Answer

You can end up with some settling and movement cracks after a build if you have moved walls or placed steels. 
It doesn't mean you've had a bad builder at all.
Normal rule of thumb is if the crack is big enough to get a Bic biro in, then ask your builder to come back and take a look, anything smaller I would just fill and re-paint. 
Some times settling and cracking can appear up to 2 years after the work took place.

Joe · Answer

These are probably settlement cracks from the work  call the Contractor back and ask for these things to be sorted. As for bad workmanship the works had to go through building regulations as it sounds like steels have been fitted so if thay got passed and signed off you have no worries

Charles · Answer

Some small cracks can be normal after structural changes due to settling or slight movement. Large or widening cracks may indicate structural issues, in which case contact the builder and check your insurance/warranty. A structural engineer can assess if it’s serious.

Kind regards, CB Builders & Son

Myroslav · Answer

I think the company that performed the repairs should be responsible for this.

Stephen · Answer

Hi I can’t comment on the builder you used, but settlement cracks are a very normal part of the process and can normally but sorted when decorating if there has been any structural movement when the job was done again this can happen but the builder should sort that out once the steel is in place an fully packed an built up to carry the weight of the back of the house this is all accurate as long as the correct steels have been used as per the structural calculations hope this helps

Troy · Answer

It all depends on the type of cracks that appear it may be caused by settling cracks from where part of the building has been put on to steel work that will either be on piers or steel beems but will have its own foundation of there are large wide sever cracks then I would say it’s a cause for concern if not you should be perfectly fine always good to possibly just ask a builder if they could take a look for a small fee just to put your mind to rest

Mark · Answer

Small cracks are normal after this sort of work and can take a while to appear once everything has settled. 
I wouldn't say the builder did a bad job but would recommend you contact them in the first instance for advice. 
It could be as simple as a bit of filler and repaint.

Doug · Answer

Get a structural engineer to assess the reason before you start leveling bad workmanship 
Did you have drawings and calculations for the work. If you did the the engineer will be able to tell you if it was done as required. There insurance will cover it. If they are the reason 
It could possibly be just settling cracks from the works you should have been told this by your architect and builder.

Dan · Answer

I think settlement is highly common and I'm sure if you message him he would come through and repair the issue though in my opinion I believe nobody is to blame.... Though saying that, there's a lot of cowboys out there so stay vigilant.

Who is responsible for settlement cracks after recent work?

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