Cracking advice for homeowners

Feature

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is urging homeowners to keep an eye on their properties as a winter of drought followed by a hot, dry summer could see their homes cracking under the strain.

Subsidence, often caused by the loss of water from shrinkable subsoil brought about by a period of high temperatures and low rainfall, is a major threat to houses built with shallow foundations.

Subsidence can also be caused by tree roots that suck away moisture from the soil close to the foundations. This is exacerbated during a hot summer, or by water leaks that wash away soil from the foundations.

Subsidence is most commonly seen pre-1965 houses and particularly those built during the Edwardian and Victorian eras. These properties are more likely to have shallow foundations that are more susceptible to the problem of heave caused by moving soil.

Heave arises when a hot spell breaks and rain causes the soil to expand. The expansion is rarely uniform throughout the soil and as a result the ground experiences differential heave, which can cause buildings to move and crack.

The RICS is urging people to periodically check their properties for evidence of cracking.

Cracks more than 3mm wide are considered to be serious and require immediate action, especially if they pass through brickwork or stone.

There could be movement in the ground beneath your home if you find: new or expanding cracks in plasterwork; new or expanding cracks in outside brickwork; doors or windows sticking for no particular reason; or rippling wallpaper that isn’t caused by damp.

If you spot any of these problems and can’t find a reason for them, such as a broken water pipe, get specialist help as soon as possible. The important thing to remember is that most subsidence problems can be easily fixed without the hassle of underpinning, which can ultimately impact on the resaleability of your property. The cost is usually met through your buildings insurance policy.

Consumer group Which? estimates that about 70 per cent of all subsidence cases are due to tree roots sucking moisture out of the soil. If a tree is contributing to your home’s subsidence, removing the tree is not always the wise option. A qualified chartered surveyor will be able to put you in touch with someone who can advise you on whether or not a tree should be removed or simply pruned to reduce the amount of moisture it takes out of the soil.

RICS spokesperson Roy Ilott says, “We, like the insurance companies, are expecting to see a rise in the incidence of subsidence. Finding the cracks and notifying your insurance company can be the easy part; rectifying the problem can be very complex, costly and disruptive to the household.

“House owners should be prepared for delays as premature action can cause further problems and insurers will usually want to monitor walls for a season to assess a pattern.”

Picture caption: The writing’s on the wall – large cracks in brickwork can mean a subsidence problem.