Pile Foundations

jayship

Piling is used to underpin a property due to subsidence and the cost of home insurance premium and excess is far higher. However since yours is a new build it is likely that building regs were involved and probably visited the site whilst work was ongoing but not signed off as it was never completed. The local authority will be able to give you info if you provide the address and postcode.
However i am not sure if this applies to new build but worth a phone call. Check the insurance premium with a broker.

Tallulah-32

Thanks everyone I really appreciate all the responses. The house was phase 1 of a development build on the edge of a quarry on the outskirts of a city? Phase 1 is a row of 8 houses and phase 2 which was to be on the quarry was to be 60 houses. The land is rocky where the house is and only 2 of the houses built needed pile foundations. Exclusive developer but he went bust and his builder didn't get paid and also went bust? We think the builder either carried out the pile foundations or sub-contracted. Building control only had the name of the architect who we spoke to and he gave us the name of the builder but as the builder went bust and the owner is now in Australia we can't find out anymore. We've started calling pile companies and try to get ahead that way. Building control said they have no info about the pile company and the foundations weren't signed off. The house comes with building defects insurance and a survey was carried out to get that insurance to we?re happy that the house is sound but as the house is a shell we want to work towards getting a completion certificate as most people have advised that despite the fact insurance comes with the house and we've got finance sorted they wouldn't buy a house without a completion certificate as it would be difficult to sell. An engineer friend told us that pile results need to be signed off by test centres and that we should try them. We've approached one but they don't know and we're waiting on the other. Building control have implied that they'd be happy t sign off the foundations if we get a structural survey but until I see that clearly spelled out I doubt that is the case. The other houses on the row have been sold and were bought by cash buyers. Only 4 were unfinished and only 2 had pile foundations. We don't know who has bought the other pile property. Showhouse sold for £330,000 in 2007 and the unfinished house we,re looking at is up for 125k. It would be a fa,ily house and we,d stay there for years but my husband isn't proceeding probably wisely unless he knows it's possible to get a completion certificate for the property. Sorry for long response. With builder and developer being bust all their old contacts we.ve found who weren't paid have been amazing but unfortunately haven't been unable to help. Ah if its meant to its meant to be I guess. Thanks again everyone.

GDB2222

How much would you be paying for the house? Prices are down roughly 50% in Northern Ireland from 2007 levels (according to Halifax). So, that makes the show house worth £165k now say, and won't it cost a fortune to turn a shell into show house condition? To say nothing of all the upheaval, etc. People pay a premium to move into a newly-built home without having to do anything, and likewise you should get a price reduction because not many people are prepared to take on the construction work. Without knowing the property, £125k sounds like rather too much.

richardw

jayship wrote: »

Piling is used to underpin a property due to subsidence...

Nope!

Underpinning is used to underpin existing foundations, not piling.

securityman

Freecall wrote: »

Piling is often used these days as it can often simply be cost effective.

I does not follow that there is anything wrong at all.

and more environmentally friendly than a lump of concrete.

chris_m

richardw wrote: »

Underpinning is used to underpin existing foundations, not piling.

Indeed - considering that piling is usually either done by drilling dirty great holes into the ground and pouring concrete in or by driving ready-made piles in until they hit sufficiently resistant ground the only way you could underpin a house by piling would be to demolish the darned thing first, then try and put it back together afterwards.

Tallulah-32

Thanks everyone really appreciate all the comments. Still hoping to hear from test centre if they have the results. Got an appointment with building control next week to find out if there's a way around not having pile log (yet hopefully) like would they accept a full structural survey being carried out if they attended. Wonder if could get a surveyor to drill bore holes to test pile foundations. Thanks again