Cracks in walls? North London Subsidence Repairs
If you’re based in North London and have noticed issues such as cracks in your walls or sinking floors, there’s a high chance your home could be suffering from subsidence. Learn about the 7 signs of property subsidence, you may think that cracks in walls may simply be old plaster drying up, but the symptoms could mean it’s your home foundations causing the cracks.
North London’s subsidence challenges are mainly due to the type of soil it sits on—London Clay, which reacts a lot to changes in moisture. When it’s dry, this clay can shrink and crack, leading to the ground sinking, and when it’s wet, it swells up, which can lift buildings. This is a big problem in North London, where many older houses with shallow foundations are built on this soil.
Signs of Subsidence
Selling your North London home could be impossible if the building inspector’s report diagnoses subsidence. It could be a deal breaker for potential buyers, plus the value of your property could decrease 20% or more.
The Great British weather, which is becoming more unpredictable with really hot or very wet periods, makes this problem worse. Plus, with climate change, more houses in London will likely face these issues in the coming years. You can use our subsidence cost calculator to work out a rough estimate of the costs involved or contact us via our enquiry form and we’ll be in touch to chat.
Postcode Hotspots for Subsidence UK
We see many properties in the North London area with this issue, especially in the following postcodes N1, N1C, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N17, N18, N19, N20, N21, N22, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW4, NW5, NW6, NW7, NW8, NW9, NW10, NW11, EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4, EN5, EN6, EN7, EN8, EN9, EN10.
If your postcode is listed above, please don’t delay in reaching out to us on 0333 1300592 Our lines are open every day 8am – 8pm.
Your home could be at risk of subsidence damage. By acting now, you can potentially save yourself £1000s in the long run. We offer resin injection subsidence repair which is a quicker and more affordable solution than traditional underpinning.
Resin Injection Vs Traditional underpinning
Cracks in walls, and sinking or sloping floors are often indicators that a property is affected by subsidence. London Subsidence can occur for many reasons such as damaged drains leading to softening or loosening of soils, seasonal changes in clay soils, tree roots and vibrations (such as trains).
- Proximity to the Thames: While specific details on the direct impact of the Thames River on subsidence in North London are not available in the cited sources, it’s reasonable to infer that the river’s proximity may influence local microclimates and contribute to soil moisture variations, further affecting the shrink-swell behavior of the clay soils.
- Projected Impact of Climate Change: The number of properties in London likely to be affected by climate-related subsidence is expected to increase significantly. Projections suggest an increase from 20% in 1990 to 43% by 2030, and 57% by 2070. This trend indicates a growing risk of subsidence in the future, driven by changes in annual temperatures and variability in rainfall.
There are a few tried and tested solutions to solve subsidence issues including resin injection, underpinning is still used for extreme cases of property tilting, sinking or worse, crumbling walls and foundations.
Fully Trained Subsidence Engineers – One Day Treatment
The majority of resin injection projects can be completed in 1 to 2 days with no need for the homeowners to be moved out during the works.
Although a relative newcomer resin injection has been used globally for over 20 years and involves the injection of resin through the foundation into the underlying soils. The works comprise the installation of 12mm diameter injection tubes, typically installed from outside the property, the resin is then injected down the tube to the required treatment depth to fill fissures and compact the soils whilst filling any voids that are present.
By using small diameter injection tubes, the whole process is cleaner, safer and less disruptive than underpinning and there is no need for mass excavation. Resin injection for subsidence repair work, in most cases will not require building regulation approval. This is due to the soil being treated and not the structure of the building. Additionally, there is no need to declare that resin injection has been carried out to your property or declare it whilst reinsuring.
It is commonly thought that a property with ongoing subsidence can be devalued by between 20 – 25%, whilst a house with a repaired subsidence devalues a property between 0 – 5%.
Resin Injection Subsidence Repair North London
With a collective wealth of knowledge and experience in subsidence recovery, our team use resin injection for subsidence that works to reduce costs and treatment time.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to our process:
Step 1: Drilling small holes – before injecting our resin into the foundations, we drill tiny holes into the problem areas, typically 0.5m apart so that we treat the whole area impacted
Step 2: Injecting material – we inject resin into the treatment areas, monitoring the structure of the building using laser equipment as this treatment is completed and the structure is lifted or supported.
Step 3: Rapid hardening – The material hardens in seconds, providing reliable support similar to concrete.
Advantages of Resin Injection over Underpinning
There are several reasons why you should opt for our resin solutions over underpinning. When considering cost, performance and timescales, the benefits of resin well outweigh any of the underpinning.
Resin injections are a far faster and less invasive choice, quickly making this a favourable option for homeowners nationwide. Plus, we ensure a mess-free approach that doesn’t require you to vacate the property while the work is completed.
Other methods, including underpinning, result in much higher carbon emissions, using a resin material that is inert once is has hardened.
Last but certainly not least, the subsidence resin injection cost is generally half that of traditional underpinning and comes with a warranty to ensure you have a guarantee for the material’s performance.
Subsidence Evaluation and Repair North London
Remember, if you live in the following postcodes, N1, N1C, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N17, N18, N19, N20, N21, N22, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW4, NW5, NW6, NW7, NW8, NW9, NW10, NW11, NW1, EN2, EN3, EN4, EN5, EN6, EN7, EN8, EN9, EN10, get in touch with us today for an estimation of the costs involved. Call us on 0333 1300592 or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you.
We have a comprehensive list of UK postcode Hotspots for Subsidence, including those in East London, West London, South London and the Midlands. If you’re worried about signs of Subsidence in your home, contact us. The first step we can take is to assess your postcode before chatting about the signs you’ve noticed and if they could be detrimental to the structural integrity of your home.
CEO of Subsidence Ltd