The UK’s clay subsidence industry was born in the 1970s, matured in the 1980s and fuelled by global-warming has since grown to become a huge behemoth which already costs the insurance industry millions every year – predicted by PwC to increase by 800% and cost £1.9 billion per year in the not too distant future, if climate change continues.
Something has to change soon – and it can;
The diagnostic art of identifying different types of building movement from crack patters is a skill which takes many years of practical experience to learn properly. I have heard many cases where clients have been told by tradesmen visiting the house, or over the...
Root-induced subsidence occurs in shrinkable soils, which are mainly clays, or clay-based matrixes. In the UK there are a great deal of different soil types, and layers of differing soils. We need to differentiate between bedrock (i.e. the main older ground type...
In the UK we have rigorous standards for construction. The Building Research Establishment first published guidance for building near trees on clay soils in 1949 – then just an approximate rule of thumb that houses should not be sited closer to a tree than its mature...
Insurer-employed vs independent subsidence consultants When you have subsidence, it needs to be handled carefully and properly, by an experienced consultant. Adequate and appropriate investigations need to be undertaken not only to correctly diagnose the precise...
Root-induced subsidence occurs in shrinkable soils, which are mainly clays, or clay-based matrixes. In the UK there are a great deal of different soil types, and layers of differing soils. We need to differentiate between bedrock (i.e. the main older ground type...
Basically, yes! In most other countries, they view cracking to buildings much differently, more like how we would view any other minor building defect. The vast majority of subsidence cracks are minor and not structurally threatening and subsidence is generally not...
Everybody likes a tree-lined avenue and street trees are important for several environmental reasons such as air quality as well as their aesthetic value. Local authorities want to keep street trees wherever possible, but in many cases on shrinkable clay subsoils,...
Clay subsidence is something you really don’t want to get and is in most cases completely avoidable. Why bother? Most subsidence damage is minor in structural terms and not dangerous to occupants, but repairs can be extensive, very disruptive and very costly, and it...
Absolutely it is! All clay subsidence is caused by a combination of tree roots beneath foundations, shrinkable clay and prolonged hot/dry weather. Remove any one of those elements and the problem disappears. Live tree roots are of course the easiest element to remove....
