Canterbury · Kent
Structural crack repairs in Canterbury
If you have found a crack in a wall at your Canterbury property, the first job is to work out why it appeared. Our crack repairs start with the cause, so the stitching, repointing or rebuilding that follows has a fair chance of lasting.
Guide price from£90per metre of crack inc VAT
- Postcodes
- CT1, CT2, CT5, CT6
- Population
- about 55,000
- Area
- Kent
- Pricing region
- South East
How do local ground conditions affect structural crack repairs in Canterbury?
Postcode districts CT1, CT2, CT5, CT6 cover Canterbury, a Kent town of about 55,000 people. If you are just outside Canterbury, we also cover Whitstable (6 miles), Herne Bay (7 miles) and Faversham (9 miles).
Kent is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Parts of Kent lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Housing stock in Kent: Victorian terraces in the Medway towns, weatherboarded and Wealden houses, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows.
What happens during structural crack repairs, step by step?
Survey and record
On site we measure the width along the crack, note its pattern and check nearby drains, trees and openings. If the cause is unclear, gauges can be fixed across it and read over several months.
Written quote
You receive a no-obligation written quote listing each crack, the repair method chosen for it and the making good inside and out. Once the scope is settled, that becomes a fixed price in writing.
Repair and make good
Cracks are stitched, repointed or rebuilt as specified, with mortar matched to the existing wall. Internal crack lines are filled and redecorated where included, and you get a written note of what was done.
What to look for before calling about structural crack repairs
- Cracks that reappear in the same place after filling and painting
- Doors or windows that have started sticking or no longer latch
- A crack noticeably wider at the top than the bottom, or the reverse
Structural crack repairs prices in Canterbury
Guide prices below are for homes in Canterbury, on South East rates and including VAT. A survey or good photos let us turn them into a fixed written price.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Crack stitching with helical bars | £90 – £200 | per metre of crack |
| Single crack, outside only (up to about 2 m)est. | £450 – £1,000 | per crack |
| Internal making good and redecoration of the crack lineest. | £170 – £560 | per room |
How we usually approach structural crack repairs
Crack stitching with helical bars
Stainless steel helical bars are grouted into slots cut along the bed joints, bridging the crack so the masonry works as one piece again. It is the standard repair for wider stepped and vertical cracks once whatever caused them has stopped.
Best for: Stable cracks wider than about 5 mm, or ones that keep reopening
Filling and repointing
For hairline and narrow cracks that have stopped moving, the crack line is raked out and repointed in mortar matched to the original for strength, colour and texture. Inside, plaster cracks are cut out, filled with a flexible filler and redecorated.
Best for: Cracks up to about 5 mm that are no longer moving
Rules for structural crack repairs in England
Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Questions about structural crack repairs in Canterbury
What is the price of structural crack repairs in Canterbury?
Guide prices for structural crack repairs in Canterbury start from about £90 per metre of crack, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you carry out structural crack repairs in Canterbury?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Canterbury, including CT1, CT2, CT5, CT6, and from nearby places such as Whitstable and Herne Bay. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Does the ground around Canterbury cause cracking?
North Kent sits on London Clay, central Kent on Gault and Weald Clays and the Downs on chalk, so shrinkable clay is widespread. East Kent around Deal and Dover had a small deep coalfield, worked until the late 1980s. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
What do stepped cracks in brickwork mean?
Stepped cracks usually mean part of the wall has moved and the weakest path, the mortar joints, has given way. They are common with subsidence and around openings. A thin stepped crack unchanged for years is often cosmetic, while a wide or tapered one should be looked at.
Can I just fill a crack and paint over it?
You can fill a fine crack that is not moving, and for many hairline cracks that is the right repair. Filling a crack that is still opening hides the evidence, and it will usually come back. If a filled crack returns within a year or two, have it assessed.
More repairs we carry out in Canterbury
- Wall tie replacement
- Retaining wall repairs
- Subsidence repairs
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Lintel replacement
Structural crack repairs near Canterbury
Send photos of the crack at your Canterbury property, close up and from a distance, for a free initial assessment and a no-obligation written quote.