Scheduled visit
Hairline cracks at window and door corners
Thin cracks run diagonally from the corners of windows or doors, inside or outside. They may appear after the first summer or after nearby work, and can reopen after being filled and painted.
Painting & Finishes
Scheduled work, planned around your availability and the weather.
Call nowRequest crack assessment on WhatsApp01LIKELY CAUSES
What usually sits behind this symptom, and what tells one cause from another.
Stress concentration at openings
Cracks short, diagonal and stable when monitored.
Missing or short lintel bearing
Cracks longer or widening above the opening.
Thermal movement in render
Cracks on sun-facing walls open and close seasonally.
02BEFORE ANYONE VISITS
What you can safely check.
- Mark the ends of cracks with a pencil and date them.
- Measure the width with a coin or card over a few weeks.
- Check whether windows and doors still open smoothly.
- Note whether cracks are inside, outside or both.
03WHAT WE MEASURE
We measure and photograph the cracks, check for movement over time, and look at the opening’s lintel and frame. Stable cracks are repaired cosmetically; growing ones need structural assessment first.
04IN A VILLA
Villa walls are rendered blockwork with large openings, and sun on one face expands render more than the other. Corners of windows and doors are where that movement concentrates.
05THE FIX
Which repair, and when.
External cracks let water into render and the wall; internal ones keep reappearing through paint.
Rake out, fill with flexible filler and repaint
Cracks are stable and fine.
Reinforce render with mesh
Cracks recur from movement.
Structural assessment
Cracks are widening or doors and windows are binding.
06Typical villa painting work
Quoted after survey — area and preparation dependent
Preparation is the variable, not the paint. A villa needing crack repair and moisture remediation costs substantially more than one needing coats alone, and we would rather show you why on site than give a number that changes later.
07QUESTIONS
- Are these cracks structural?
- Usually not, but monitoring confirms.
- Why do they come back?
- Rigid filler cannot cope with movement.
- Should I worry if a window sticks?
- Combined with cracks, it is worth an assessment.
- When should they be repaired?
- Once movement is understood, ideally in moderate weather.