Is it settlement, or is it still moving
The question that decides whether cracking is a repair or a problem.
In short: One visit gives you a width. Establishing whether it is progressing is a different exercise.
Two different things
Initial settlement happens in the first years and stabilises. Reactive clay movement is seasonal and continues for the life of the building.
Why Craigieburn matters here
The high plasticity basaltic clay under most of the suburb swells and shrinks with moisture, so seasonal movement is the normal condition.
What one inspection can tell you
The current width and pattern, whether there is displacement across the crack, and whether it continues into the structure.
What it cannot tell you
Whether it is still moving. That needs monitoring over time, or an engineer's assessment with instrumentation.
What to do in the meantime
Address the drainage and moisture conditions around the footings, because that is the variable you can actually control.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Craigieburn. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
