Most buildings develop cracks in their fabric at some time. Diagnosis of the specific causes of crack formation is important to determine their effect on the performance of the building and whether the movement is complete, incomplete or seasonal.

Cracking within components involves the strength of the material. When building components are restrained, their strength is exceeded by stresses arising from movement in the materials: cracking results.

The degree of cracking is dependent on several factors including the materials used in the construction and the cause of the cracking.

Protectahome - Cracked Brick Wall ©	Protectahome - Cracked Stone Wall ©
	Protectahome - Exposed Cracked Wall ©

Structural defects can be divided into three principle groups, this list should not be considered as exhaustive:Cracking due to one or a combination of the following:

• Foundation movement
• Thermal and/or moisture movement
• Frost action
• Corrosion of embedded steelwork
• Lintel failure
• Overloading

Bulging and leaning walls due to one or a combination of the following:

• Vibration from traffic or machinery
• Increased floor loads or by adding extra floors
• Original walls being insufficient in thickness in relation to height
• Lack of lateral restraint between the external walls and the floor joists beams and partitions
• Spreading caused by inadequately restrained roofing materials or increased loading

Bond failure due to one or a combination of the following:

• Use of inadequate materials
• Deterioration with time
• Poor construction techniques