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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Building Questions >> Historic subsidence /drainage / Clay shrinkage https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1587041223 Message started by Alfee248 on Apr 16^th, 2020, 1:47pm

Title: Historic subsidence /drainage / Clay shrinkage
Post by Alfee248 on Apr 16^th, 2020, 1:47pm

Good afternoon all ,
After a bit of guidance towards the topic of possible , have owned my 1920's built home for the past 5 years , on purchase there were a few cracks to the rear of the property , survey came back as historic subsidence so all went ahead , last year we had a blocked drain and after inspection noticed the ceramic gully was cracked.
I dug out the old gully and found the clay under the corner of the house to be sodden so removed the clay until dry and replaced with concrete .
Now this has worked a treat the ground around the corner of the foundation is now so dry I presume it's started to shrink (weather has been warm here in the southwest)
The subsidence cracks seem to be opening up noticeably as the ground dries out more ...
What was a simple gully switch out ( not worth claiming on insurance for ) is now a bit of a bigger deal I think ,
So my question , has anyone claimed on there building insurance for a similar issue , works needed to be carried out to amend the problem? Any thing to note when dealing with insurers on a matter of subsidence ...I hear this can be a minefield

Any input much appreciated.... Thanks in Advance
Alfie

Title: Re: Historic subsidence /drainage / Clay shrinkage
Post by woodsmith on Apr 17^th, 2020, 9:48am

It's difficult to advise without seeing the extent of the problem. If you feel you have serious subsidence then you will need to contact your insurance company. Bear in mind that there is normally a big excess for subsidence and you will have to declare it should you wish to sell the property which may affect the value and make a sale difficult so it may be worth getting a structural engineer round to give his/her advice.

However if the cracks are relatively small at the moment you may be able to cure the problem by adding stitches. These are helical rods made from stainless steel which you glue into mortar courses with a special adhesive. You can buy these in a kit and are not too difficult to fit if you are reasonably good at diy otherwise you could find a builder who could fit them for you.

If you can stitch it it would probably cost you less than your excess and it does form a permanent repair as long as the house doesn't have dramatic movement.