Should I be worried about these cracks?
Hello again! On episode 2 of "I'm tired of waiting for people who are more qualified than I am to do something" we have this wall behind my house. Between this wall and the back wall of my house is about 10ish feet. A crack has been growing and getting deeper. I've been really worried about it and told by both my husband and landlord that all it needs is fresh rendering and it's going to be good for years to come. But my inner paranoia is telling me it needs more attention than that.
On the upper level above where the worst of the damage is, is where the paving bricks have sunken down a bit and created a spot where water pools and has nowhere else to go, so it's been sinking down over the years into the same area for at least 13-14+ years. Last year, because I basically "wouldn't shut up about it", my landlord gave my husband permission to drill a 1inch hole to act as drainage.. And they both promptly ignored me when I said I thought the hole should have a pipe or something going through it and be sealed around the pipe on both ends so the water didn't sink into the wall and cause further damage.
Also, I've been led to believe that there is a soakaway behind this wall, as there is a gutter going straight down into a square earthenware hole that is always has water in it up to about an inch from the lip... (well, it was supposed to be, but some brilliant person did not put a curved end piece on it, so the water has basically been going mostly directly into the foundations for the entire time we've lived here, I've put one on it now, but I fear it may have done some damage). I don't know if this would have any effect on this crack in the wall, but I'd like to cover all the bases so if I can fix the wall, I can lower the chances of it happening again.
So, in the spirit of the "F*ck it Bucket" I'm currently diving into, I would like to know how I can fix it, or at least get it to the point it doesn't make me nervous to look at anymore. Or if I should either put my foot down with the landlord to fix it or if I should get a quote to have it professionally done.
Thanks in advance for any advice and/or a walkthrough on how to fix it!
