House subsidence

[Red Squirrel]

On 10/10/2018 at 21:53, RODNEY FERNIO said:

Well the nightmare has just escalated ten fold.

Subsidence has been confirmed and .they say the cause is nearby vegetation

i.e the bloody bush the builders decided to plant next to the house in their infinite wisdom when they built it.

How they can come to this conclusion when Cunningham Lindsay , the loss adjusters, just

send some semi literate bloke with bad body odour around to take a few photographs and speak into some form of audio recorder.

There has been no check on the drains at all !!

Anyway the conclusion seems to be that I have to pay for the removal of the bush and then they will monitor the cracks until 

next Spring before the insurers will pay for any remedial work.

How the surveyor or whoever comes to this conclusion with no proper evidence is beyond me.

Three independent opinions from people in the know , including one kind poster .. a structural surveyor on this forum .. are of the opinion

that the roots are too shallow to cause any kind of damage.

The most common causes of subsidence is root-induced shrinkage of expansive soil or leaking drains

Whilst its difficult to tell if the diagnosis is correct here without seeing photos etc, if there are no drainage runs near the damage then you can rule out leaking drains 

The cracking (which I assume is minor ... say 2mm or under) could well be caused by localised vegetation - which is the conclusion Cunningham Lindsay have come to

It is not something to be overly concerned about - the house is perfectly stable

All that needs to be done is the vegetation removed and the cracking repaired (probably with the brickwork in the area being strengthened by metal bars inserted into the bed joints)

Your Insurer is covering the cost although you will have a policy excess of (usually £1,000) to pay

The Insurer will keep the property on cover

You can get on with the rest of your Foxes-supporting life and it will be another 100 years before a subsidence thread appears on here again!

Basically you probably have had had a bit of localised movement caused by the drying of the soil in the hot summer weather exacerbated by vegetation extracting more moisture in the area

 

 

[RODNEY FERNIO]

3 hours ago, Red Squirrel said:

The most common causes of subsidence is root-induced shrinkage of expansive soil or leaking drains

Whilst its difficult to tell if the diagnosis is correct here without seeing photos etc, if there are no drainage runs near the damage then you can rule out leaking drains 

The cracking (which I assume is minor ... say 2mm or under) could well be caused by localised vegetation - which is the conclusion Cunningham Lindsay have come to

It is not something to be overly concerned about - the house is perfectly stable

All that needs to be done is the vegetation removed and the cracking repaired (probably with the brickwork in the area being strengthened by metal bars inserted into the bed joints)

Your Insurer is covering the cost although you will have a policy excess of (usually £1,000) to pay

The Insurer will keep the property on cover

You can get on with the rest of your Foxes-supporting life and it will be another 100 years before a subsidence thread appears on here again!

Basically you probably have had had a bit of localised movement caused by the drying of the soil in the hot summer weather exacerbated by vegetation extracting more moisture in the area

 

 

Thanks Mr Squirrel .. went fishing in France in July with the lads and now seems a distant utopian memory.... saw a lot of your relatives

when I was over there ... far more attractive than the tree rats we get over here.

Couple of questions :

Not thinking of moving but assume the house is now virtually unsellable ?

Surely the builders Taylor Wimpey were negligent in planting the bush in the first place given the fact that they knew the house was being built on clay soil ?

The crack under the patio door concerns me the most 4mm wide and right next to the drainpipe 

Edited 12 October 2018 by RODNEY FERNIO

[ketteringscott]

14 hours ago, RODNEY FERNIO said:

Thanks Mr Squirrel .. went fishing in France in July with the lads and now seems a distant utopian memory.... saw a lot of your relatives

when I was over there ... far more attractive than the tree rats we get over here.

Couple of questions :

Not thinking of moving but assume the house is now virtually unsellable ?

Surely the builders Taylor Wimpey were negligent in planting the bush in the first place given the fact that they knew the house was being built on clay soil ?

The crack under the patio door concerns me the most 4mm wide and right next to the drainpipe 

The house isn't unsellable, I am a conveyancer and have dealt with the sale of a property recently which had similar issues 6 months ago. As long as the new lender is aware of the works and you have a certificate of structural adequacy then the property can be sold. The company who carry out the works for you will issue the certificate 

Edited 13 October 2018 by ketteringscott

[Red Squirrel]

On 13/10/2018 at 10:28, ketteringscott said:

The house isn't unsellable, I am a conveyancer and have dealt with the sale of a property recently which had similar issues 6 months ago. As long as the new lender is aware of the works and you have a certificate of structural adequacy then the property can be sold. The company who carry out the works for you will issue the certificate 

This is absolutely correct. Damage is often found at point of sale where a home buyers survey highlights damage and the current Insurer will usually extend cover to any new purchaser as a matter of course and as Ketteringscott says there will be a certificate of structural adequacy provided as well

 

[RODNEY FERNIO]

On ‎12‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 20:25, RODNEY FERNIO said:

Thanks Mr Squirrel .. went fishing in France in July with the lads and now seems a distant utopian memory.... saw a lot of your relatives

when I was over there ... far more attractive than the tree rats we get over here.

Couple of questions :

Not thinking of moving but assume the house is now virtually unsellable ?

Surely the builders Taylor Wimpey were negligent in planting the bush in the first place given the fact that they knew the house was being built on clay soil ?

The crack under the patio door concerns me the most 4mm wide and right next to the drainpipe 

Ok guys thanks.

Not been a good couple of months my father after his fall is now in a vegetative state and is in the General hospital.

Then two weeks ago today my mother fell as well and she fractured her hip ( now replaced ) and her shoulder and is in the Royal !!

Think they could at least put them in the same hospital.

Luckily I've never suffered from ( but sympathize with those that do ) depression so at least can avoid posting on that thread.

Edited 15 October 2018 by RODNEY FERNIO

[Little John]

Dear all, 

 

Can any of you experts throw any light of the subject of ground "heave".

 

Insurer's Loss Adjusters have proposed to a install root barrier being the same as chopping down offending trees. And they said that maximum 6 months after the installing the root barrier they'll start the superstructure / cosmetic repairs.

 

Though our own engineer says that ground "heave" will continue for years to come perhaps and that cracks in the property will continue show for years as the ground takes in water.

 

Any thoughts on timescales for heave to finish would be useful.

 

Thanks