So I just purchased this old 60s villa ground floor apartment and about 6 months into owning it a bunch of cracks have appeared. The previous owners probably did a pretty good job at concealing them because my inspection report didn't identify any issues but that's another matter.
So basically one area the down pipe has been leaking and improperly fitted for probably decades. So there's this gap outside underneath the eaves that goes down quite a way where the soil/concrete has been washed away.
The concrete is about 5cm thick and goes all the way to the garden as a bit of a courtyard but there's expansion gaps and this gap that you can see in the photos all around the house.
My question is - is there anything I can fill in this gap to prevent water/leaves/moisture/spiders and further erosion? Or is this gap kind of needed for a house to move/breathe properly?
I was thinking of maybe an outdoor silicone or even expansion gap rubber-like material to at least account for movement so I don't crack the courtyard concrete by accident, but I've been told to just use mortar. There's also the issue that if I do seal it up with something, it won't be able to breathe from there anymore - I'm not sure if that's an issue or just talking out their arse.
Any thoughts?
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅