garden4ork

I'd have to look up a few examples RE rendered but the budget isn't going to stretch to facia blocks and certainly wouldn't want it breeze block finish/painted 😔

Thanks for the replies so far - Pretty damning I think and will have to source some more blocks! I don't mind the idea of going a bit thicker at the bottom and stepping up, as Declan says. Cantilever style. However also wary of the other idea to step each course back, which I've seen more often when researching but would leave it quite unsightly even after rendering. Any reason to do that over Declan's method?

What are your thoughts please on the suitability of a single skin breeze block retaining wall to a height of 800mm? Laid normally as the 100mm thickness. The wall length will be 9m with piers constructed from alternating railway sleepers/blocks every 1.5m. Everything I've managed to get is reclaimed, other than the 6t or so of aggregate/gravel that I'm planning on getting from the council as backfill and to tamper down and use as the base/foundation. I was also wondering, you know the concrete cast flower blocks - if I laid these flat and used as my first course within the ground (filling in the flower with more aggregate) is this asking for trouble or should it be okay? Cheers

Thank you. The void backfill description does sound likely now you've said it but reading about falling down a mineshaft made me shudder a bit! Will take care...

Little concerned/curious over these 'hollows' I've found when digging out a foundation trench. They seem to only be close to rocks, the one nearest to camera goes deeper into the hollow. Not very deep but I've not really delved into it. This is the only place I've found them after digging around 7m length First thoughts were an old well, as in this area it does tend to flood under heavy downpours from groundwater however also could be rat tunnels? Figured I'd share here and get some 2nd opinions Thank you

Yes you can see the top of the frame is sagging towards the centre of the house. Also slight cracks in the plaster/plasterboard on both sides of the door The overbearing joist/joists makes a lot of sense as the central staircase wall (the only one which runs full height of house) sits on just one joist they both run parallel

Attached images above Dave, while it doesn't look extreme we're planning on new windows/bathroom and I'd rather not sink money into that if it needs to go elsewhere

Yes sorry, please see attached. The blue wall is on the ground floor, the floor does drop down and when the door is opened it catches on the laminate on the far left, so a considerable drop I imagine? If I lay a long spirit level down, there is a 'low spot' as well as bubble showing an offset to the centre of house Placing a ball on the laminate, it will always roll towards the centre of the staircase wall Image with the thermostat, you can see the door crooked and plasterboard cracking - it continues along the top of the wall. This is common for nearly all doors.

Hi all, Looking for a little advice, or optimism, over my house where there is obvious 'dip' in the centre (detached rectangular house) Door frames sag to the centre on both levels, and spirit levels on both the ground and 1st floors confirm this. Staircase is central so all converges on this area. One thing to note, the whole house seems to be made up of partition walls (built in 70s) with the only one continuous top to bottom being the staircase wall. Looking underneath in 'the void' there seems to be a central brick support wall which the the beams rest upon. I've not managed to get under as it's a very tight space. Though they seem in good condition. Probable faults, there is a spring close by to the house which results in small amounts of flooding under continuous torrential downpours (the previous owners have put in a substantial french drain which flows into waste water basin) and when the water table is high there is a constant flow. Thoughts are this is just historical subsidence of the support wall and in theory could be slowly shimmed up to provide a level floor/restore door frames