Advice on who to get to inspect this issue

[diy mike]

The brick work on the front bay has dropped

next door had there drive /garden done and had this drain fitted which as far as I can see goes no were just ends at the boundary no soak away etc.

Iv looked back on google images and the bay was ok 2011

So who do I get round to look at this I would rather not get my house insurance involved as it will just jack the premium up next year and I dont think this is my fault

[Mr Punter]

When was the drain fitted? It looks like it is taking water from a fair area - not like a front door threshold.

[ProDave]

The immediate observation is next doors driveway slopes up towards the road. So presumably there was an issue with water running down the drive so this drain is to catch it.

 

The drain does not "go nowhere"  At some point along it's length there will be a drain pipe emerging from the bottom of it taking the water somewhere.  If there were not such a drain pipe then it would be obvious and you would see the drain overflow when it rains.

 

What age is the house?  The bricks look relatively modern, but the foundations look more like Victorian, i.e. pre concrete.

 

If I didn't know better I would say that bay has been rebuilt, or re pointed before, the brickwork is not very straight.

 

Have any trees been removed recently?

 

Why don't you want the house insurance involved, that is what it is for surely?

 

 

[stephen margerison]

ask your local council building inspector to take a look.

[Cpd]

Why have you dug out the corner ? Was this before or after the brickwork dropped ? Were you investigating why it had dropped ? 

[Russell griffiths]

I would say that is fairly typical of bays, house will have very minor footings, bay will have even less, ground shrinks, bay drops

walk along the road and look at all the others to see if you spot any more like it.  

 

I would keep very quiet at the moment until you do some more homework 

 

@ProDave if you get your insurance co involved in a subsidence claim it could go on for years, leaving the home owner unable to sell whilst a claim is being processed, you then have to sell a property with a subsidence loss against it. 

 

I would be very careful before I called them. 

[ProDave]

Good point @Russell griffiths

 

Anyone else think it may have previously been repointed to "fix" the same issue?

[diy mike]

52 minutes ago, Cpd said:

Why have you dug out the corner ? Was this before or after the brickwork dropped ? Were you investigating why it had dropped ? 

 

Yes just investigating

 

Just some history The house was built in the 30s Iv lived in the house for 28 years the garden on the front was grass which I dug up and graveled 15 years ago to park on never any trees next door was grass until the drive was done 2 years so the only thing that has change is next doors drive

 

 

22 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

I would say that is fairly typical of bays, house will have very minor footings, bay will have even less, ground shrinks, bay drops

walk along the road and look at all the others to see if you spot any more like it.  

 

I would keep very quiet at the moment until you do some more homework 

 

@ProDave if you get your insurance co involved in a subsidence claim it could go on for years, leaving the home owner unable to sell whilst a claim is being processed, you then have to sell a property with a subsidence loss against it. 

 

I would be very careful before I called them. 

 

Thats why I dont want the insurance involved

iv look at the other bays up the road non have dropped and a lot of them dont have gutters

[Cpd]

Very strange indeed. You want to be carful before accusing anyone but at the same time you need to find out where the water from the new drain next door is actually going to. Did you get any photos of the works being done, how much excavation etc ? Probably not as at the time it was not a problem.  

[ProDave]

Unusual foundations for a 1930's house.  The 1930's house we used to have had concrete strip foundations, about 2feet deep.

[Carrerahill]

I wonder - thinking aloud here... the drain next door may tie into a drain on the other side, previously, what sort of drive was it next door? Permeable or semi-permeable? and therefore water was just soaking away into the ground, so is the drain just doing its job at reducing ground water, the ground has then started to dry out causing shrinkage?

Edited October 11, 2019 by Carrerahill

[Russell griffiths]

1 hour ago, Carrerahill said:

I wonder - thinking aloud here... the drain next door may tie into a drain on the other side, previously, what sort of drive was it next door? Permeable or semi-permeable? and therefore water was just soaking away into the ground, so is the drain just doing its job at reducing ground water, the ground has then started to dry out causing shrinkage?

Exactly 

i had an extension sitting on 2.3m deep foundations on London clay, in periods of very dry weather I would often fun the hose pipe at the side of the house for a few hours to keep that clay moist.