Conservatory subsidence

MSaxp

Hi,

We have a small upvc conservatory (3x3m).

The house is 12 years old, the conservatory about 6-7.

Following the very dry summer, the conservatory is showing some signs of subsidence. The doors slightly moved, a hairline crack, but nothing terrible. The house itself doesnt seem to have any issues.

Do we need to fix the conservatory or is it ok as it doesnt bother us and there are no major cracks?
Is that something that we could claim from the insurers for?

thank you

stuart45

You might find it returns as the earth becomes wet again, if you are on shrinkable clay.

Aylesbury_Duck

Just monitor it. I've had some similar movement in mine which I've put down to a long dry summer and clay soil. The company came back and adjusted the door for me because it became difficult to close and a small 2mm gap has opened up around the tiled floor edges with the wall of the house, so I've put skirting on to hide it. Conservatories aren't built to proper regs so tend not to have decent foundations that a proper extension would have. This is one of the consequences of having what is technically an outbuilding rather than a much more expensive extension.

MSaxp

thank you. I guess then the question is: Do I have to fix it, or can I just leave it as is, unless it becomes a bigger issue.

To be honest, its barely noticeable. We adjusted one door and it's not an issue for us. Dont want it landing on my head obviously.

Its built on very heavy clay, which has shrunk substantially. there are cracks in the lawn (not the house thankfully). I wonder how long it will take to rehydrate

Aylesbury_Duck

Leave it as it is. From your description it sounds minor. The length of time it will take for the land to rehydrate depends on the level of the water table and future rainfall. We need weeks and weeks of heavy rain for the ground round my way to recover. Like you, I have very deep cracks in my lawn and garden.

shaun_from_Africa

MSaxp wrote: »

Is that something that we could claim from the insurers for?

Quite possibly but there is one very important thing to bear in mind.


Once your insurers become aware of subsidence or possible subsidence on your property, your annual premium for buildings insurance will rise a fair bit.
On top of this, you will find it next to impossible to get cover from another provider online. (try a dummy quote using one of the comparison sites and when it asks about subsidence state "yes" and watch how may insurers decline to provide a quote.
Make sure that you don't enter your correct name or house number. Use a postcode from a mile or two away.

MSaxp

yes thats a fair point. In the end I wouldnt really say my house suffers from subsidence as the conservatory is effectively a separate building as far as the structural integrity is concerned.

MSaxp

Upon closer inspection, it looks like all of the joints between the conservatory and the house are opening up.

I don't know what the best course of action is. Obviously I can wait and see if it gets worse.

I can call the conservatory company and ask for ideas.

Could the conservatory be rebuilt, using the same materials, in order to reduce costs?

Some photos




https://ibb.co/cdJ1i0
https://ibb.co/hadZ30

Gloomendoom

With cracks that size, I wouldn't do anything other than keep an eye on them.

Before you start ringing insurers, remember that a house with a recorded history of subsidence can be difficult to sell.

Aylesbury_Duck

I'd monitor the cracks and see if they close up as we enter cooler and wetter months. The only thing to watch out for is a broken slab. The old conservatory we inherited here was on a slab that had subsided and collapsed in the middle, possibly after the clay soil it was on dried out. When we replaced it the whole thing was dug up and a much deeper foundation put in under the new slab.

Davesnave

MSaxp wrote: »

I can call the conservatory company and ask for ideas.

They probably won't have any.

The usual standard for a conservatory is 450mm foundations, but if you're on tricky ground and the house foundations are a standard 1m deep, what you are seeing is likely to be differential movement between the two.

Of course, the conservatory company could have gone deeper, but they are most interested in being competitive price wise. Unlike a building inspector, they probably wouldn't have cared what soil/ground you have.

It's too early to think about re-building. We are not likely to get many summers more dry than the one we've just had. It could well be just a minor problem, made tolerable with flexible sealant.