Cracks in Conservatory.

PhilE

So I've noticed some cracks in my mums conservatory. They are vertical, near to the main house and on the inside wall. In some places you can fit a 20p piece in.

It was built in 2009, so its still under guarantee. My mums been in the house for a few years, so the guarantee has passed on to her. There was no visible damage to the conservatory when she bought the property, and nothing came up on the survey.

Looking at the gutters, the rain water has been discharged right next to the wall of the conservatory. My guess is that this has caused damage to the foundations of the conservatory. Why the company that built the conservatory would have the gutters discharging directly into the ground at the base of the conservatory, I dont know. It wouldn't have been much extra effort to lengthen the gutter so that it discharges a few meters away.

There aren't any massive cracks in the actual house itself thankfully, so it looks like its only the conservatory is the concern.

So I'm wondering what the best way to proceed would be. A structural survey is probably the best bet, just to double check its just an issue with the conservatory and not related to the main house. Expensive but reassuring.

Im guessing that the survey will pick up on the position of the discharged rain water, next to the conservatory, and possibly recommend underpinning the foundation of the conservatory.

I'm also guessing that the company who built the conservatory will try and worm their way out of it. I'd like for them to pay for the structural survey, which I wouldn't have to arrange and pay for if it wasn't for their less than 8 year old conservatory cracking already.

And I definitely think that they should pay for the cost of repairing what was pretty much an obvious design floor.

Yes, I should have spotted it a few years ago and extended the drain myself. However as the rainwater had already been soaking in the ground for nearly six years, that wouldn't have necessarily prevented the problem.

I'm considering whether my first port of call should be the company that built the conservatory, or a structural engineer.

Thoughts and experiences much appreciated.

keith969

PhilE wrote: »

Looking at the gutters, the rain water has been discharged right next to the wall of the conservatory. My guess is that this has caused damage to the foundations of the conservatory.

Depends on the amount of runoff, the soil composition, the slope of the land, the foundations etc. My gutters discharge right next to the house walls, always have done, and have not caused any problems.

PhilE

By that mean the rain water is discharged directly into the ground which is clay soil. Its not connected to a drain, as is the guttering of the main house.

Furts

General observations are: Why do you think the conservatory is still under guarantee? Are you certain any guarantee is transferable? Have any T&C been followed to transfer the guarantee?

Broader issues are what life do you expect from the conservatory? Plus, what standard and specification was drawn up when it was built? Then what standard was it built to?

Bear in mind a golden rule with conservatory purchase. A conservatory is a temporary, low cost, short life, structure that is unregulated in both design and construction. Plus, Buildings regulations do not apply to conservatories. Consequently it is not easy to argue that a conservatory is defective - defective to what criteria? Then all the more so when it has been bespoke built to the requirements of a consumer and frequently inspected and overseen by that consumer.

Davesnave

The company will argue that it is not usually their job to provide soak-aways, or to do so without extra payment, as these don't form part of the structure they erect.

As there is no soak away, it's a pretty fair assumption the conservatory co weren't asked or paid to construct one. On a clay soil, with considerable expansion and shrinkage, not having proper drainage is asking for trouble. The finger of blame therefore points at the customer.

Of course with conservatory foundations being shallower than those on a house,it might be those that are inadequate, but your problem is proving this. You would have to dig a couple of inspection pits and then employ a structural engineer, who might or might not find they'd been skimped. That's time consuming and not cheap.

Finally, it's usually the glass that has the long guarantee. I've just had a conservatory installed and only the double glazed panels have a 10 year guarantee; the rest is for a year. If you've read the small print and everything's guaranteed for 10 years, then I'm surprised.

PhilE

Furts wrote: »

General observations are: Why do you think the conservatory is still under guarantee? .

Insurance company doc says that its transferable. However, it also says this depends on whether the installers guarantee is transferable.

I've since come to the conclusion that the guarantee probably wont be of much use for a 14K outbuilding anyway, having done much research this evening.

Point taken about life expectancy of a conservatory. That does lessen the sting.

macman

So for how long in total? After 8 years, they may no longer be trading.

PhilE

macman wrote: »

So for how long in total? After 8 years, they may no longer be trading.

There still trading, its a 10 year guarantee built in '10.

PhilE

Davesnave wrote: »

The company will argue that it is not usually their job to provide soak-aways, or to do so without extra payment, as these don't form part of the structure they erect.

As there is no soak away, it's a pretty fair assumption the conservatory co weren't asked or paid to construct one. On a clay soil, with considerable expansion and shrinkage, not having proper drainage is asking for trouble. The finger of blame therefore points at the customer.

Of course with conservatory foundations being shallower than those on a house,it might be those that are inadequate, but your problem is proving this. You would have to dig a couple of inspection pits and then employ a structural engineer, who might or might not find they'd been skimped. That's time consuming and not cheap.

Finally, it's usually the glass that has the long guarantee. I've just had a conservatory installed and only the double glazed panels have a 10 year guarantee; the rest is for a year. If you've read the small print and everything's guaranteed for 10 years, then I'm surprised.

I'm expecting the company to not give a s##t and do as little as they can to help. I have to correct myself and say that its the insurance policy that says its transferable, as long as the installers guarantee is transferable.

Unfortunately, I didn't call them as soon as the house was purchased. And even if it were still under guarantee, I get the feeling that this is a dead end.

Looking through the installation documents, the previous owners took the 'standard,' drainage option. Discharging directly into the ground, as opposed to the other options listed of connecting to drains or a soak away.

There a local company, so they knew they were building on clay soil. Surely they knew that their standard drainage option could potentially damage the conservatory?

Ok, you could say the customer should know, but many customers don't know and presume the installers do. £10 worth of gutter directing the discharge away from the conservatory might have added 5+ years on to the conservatory, and I'm surprised that the installer didn't do this.

There are no new cracks in the main house whatsoever, which is a good sign.

Will check if the guarantee stands tomorrow, but what I might suggest to my mum is to take the damn thing down and put up a proper, solid extension. Adds value to the house and you don't have to worry about it falling apart within a couple of decades or less.

If she were to sell even within 5 years the conservatory might be at the end of its lifespan anyway, and not be doing much as a selling point apart from be a potential headache.

So there's a silver lining to all this and lesson learned, though I've yet to make sure it definitely is just the conservatory.

Andy_WSM

PhilE wrote: »

Looking through the installation documents, the previous owners took the 'standard,' drainage option. Discharging directly into the ground, as opposed to the other options listed of connecting to drains or a soak away.

There a local company, so they knew they were building on clay soil. Surely they knew that their standard drainage option could potentially damage the conservatory?

Ok, you could say the customer should know, but many customers don't know and presume the installers do. £10 worth of gutter directing the discharge away from the conservatory might have added 5+ years on to the conservatory, and I'm surprised that the installer didn't do this.

How do you know the installer didn't suggest or even recommend this to the customer? I've never heard of a double glazing / conservatory salesperson missing an opportunity to up-sell! Why would the installers spend "£10" to direct the water away when that wasn't the option chosen?

Just the very fact that the other options are listed and were available likely washes their hands of any responsibility.

Furts

PhilE wrote: »

I'm expecting the company to not give a s##t and do as little as they can to help.

But it sounds like the consumer did not give a s--t by specifying a cheap and inadequate detail on drainage. The option was there for it to be done better, but the consumer made a conscious decision to ignore this.

The reality is countless conservatories have inadequate foundations. Again consumers collude in this by wanting them dug cheaply, with no interest in quality or workmanship. Your issue is likely to be this, although it may be exacerbated by your roof drainage.

Many conservatories have dwarf walls. If yours has, and cracking is where these abut the home, it is likely the walls are not tied to the home. Bad practice abounds, but again consumers do not care - they do not specify, or inspect. Here you will have to live with matters and fill over/redecorate and so on.

A general give away is the roof. If yours is polycarbonate then it is a certainty the conservatory has been built with no consideration for long life or quality, Take a look and come back and let us all know on this one.