Subsidence is a silent threat to a property that can lead to significant, costly damage. It puts the building under huge stress and is a word dreaded by homeowners and buyers. The fear of subsidence is a major concern for any property owner; however, when building a new property, you have the opportunity to prevent it from occurring.
As experts in Groundworks in Bristol, we’ll explore what subsidence is and how you can avoid it. This article will guide you through the measurements you should take, from a thorough site assessment to expert groundworks, to build a new home on a solid footing.
What Is Subsidence?
Subsidence is the downward movement of a property, where the ground beneath a building causes the foundations to sink. Therefore, this causes significant issues for property owners, as the movement is uneven, leading to structural damage and instability.
Natural settlement, however, can occur within a building, is typically harmless, and is caused by the compression of the soil under a property’s weight.
What Causes Subsidence?
Some of the most common causes of subsidence are shrinkage of clay soil, tree roots, leaking drainage and poor ground conditions.
In hot weather, clay-rich soil can dry out and contract, causing the ground to pull away from the foundations of a property.
The roots of large trees and shrubs can also absorb water under a property, causing more drying and shrinkage.
On the other hand, if you have poor drainage and leaking pipes, this can wash away soil particles and create voids underneath your foundations.
Finally, building on poor ground conditions, such as unstable or poorly compacted ground, can lead to the ground giving way over time.
Some of the most noticeable signs of subsidence are diagonal cracks in the walls that are often larger at the top, sticking doors and windows and rippling wallpaper where the walls meet the ceiling. If you suspect that your property is affected by subsidence, you must contact a specialist for advice and take appropriate action before the problem worsens.
What Makes A Property More At Risk Of Subsidence?
To understand whether the property you’re building is at higher risk, various factors can contribute to subsidence.
Clay soil can undergo drastic changes depending on the weather, and these fluctuations can cause the property to become unstable and sink.
If the area is also prone to drought, dry soil can also increase your risk of subsidence. The dry soil can crack and shift, leading to destabilised ground.
How To Avoid It With Strong Foundations
If you are building a property, you must ensure that you have professional groundworks before any building work, to avoid subsidence. Groundworks are the most effective and protective way to address the root causes of these problems before construction work starts.
Groundworks will identify any risks before they can become problems, beginning with a thorough site investigation and soil analysis. Through this process, a contractor can assess the type of soil, the presence of old foundations, and the impact that nearby trees may have on the property over time. Understanding and managing these risks from the outset means that you can implement a suitable preventative strategy and manage the building project accordingly.
As mentioned above, a common cause of subsidence is poor water management. Whether this is caused by leaks washing away soil or inadequate drainage causing the ground to become overly saturated or dry, groundworks include the installation of appropriate drainage systems to control water flow. This will maintain the soil stability around the foundations.
Managing Vegetation
You should also consider the proper placement of trees and shrubs on your site. When building a new property, avoid placing large trees and shrubs close to the building’s foundation. As a rule of thumb, the distance should be at least equal to the mature height of the tree.
When it comes to existing larger trees on your site, a groundworks specialist can assess the risk, identify the type of tree and recommend the best course of action.
Why You Should Never Cut Costs On Groundworks
When approaching groundworks, a one-size-fits-all approach never works. Choosing to work with a professional team means that they will design and install foundations that are suitable for the planned property and the site’s unique conditions. This could include digging deeper foundations to avoid soil moisture changes, or using specialist techniques such as piling or unstable ground to ensure that the building’s weight is properly supported.
Ultimately, professional groundworks are an investment in the longevity and structural integrity of your property. The cost of proper foundations is significantly less than the financial investments and stress of repairing subsidence damage, which can often lead to extensive structural work and devaluation of a property.
Choosing to invest in proper groundworks means that you are creating a stable and secure foundation, engineered to withstand the specific challenges of your site.
Here at Wilsons Groundworks, we’re leading experts in groundworks and can help you navigate the process of building a property. We carry out all of our work with an incredible level of attention to detail, and can handle a wide variety of groundworks tasks efficiently and safely.