Home insurance/ conservatory issue

stephen28892

I have a problem with my conservatory brickwork as pic. Opinions following builder assessments range from packing out the mortar and hoping for the best to potential failure within the foundation in which case it may need to be knocked down and rebuilt. Trouble is nobody can give a definitive answer and issue is whether I throw a few hundred quid at it and see how it goes (it's may be slowly getting worse, gap was first noticeable about 2 or 3 years but it may stop moving) or approach my home insurers if on the balance of probabilities the prognosis is not good. Obviously I don't want to alert the insurance company unnecessarily but as well as not wanting to waste money, I'm not sure if any attempted remedial action that comes to light should the worst happen give them some get out. The builders are advising packing out mortar asap to have better chance of success but I suspect they just want the money quicker! On examining the buildings insurance policy it is not entirely clear whether covered but I am hopeful! Grateful for any guidance guys  

MovingForwards

How long has the conservatory been up?
Can you show photos from further back to see the full extent of where it starts / stops .

TELLIT01

One method of testing to see if there is continuing movement is to glue something like a piece of glass, plastic or even wood across the crack and mark the top and bottom edges.  Glass will break if there is movement, whereas plastic or timber will move from one or other of the markers.  There would be no harm in getting the crack repointed at the same time as it's another visual marker.

dacouch

There is nothing stopping you employing a structural surveyor to check the conservatory and give you an expert opinion
Your Insurer are unlikely to pay out for construction issues eg the foundations not being deep enough or a damp proof course not being installed

eddddy

As dacouch says, I wouldn't rely on the advice of a builder. A structural engineer would be able to give you an expert opinion.

Is that downpipe emptying straight into the soil? Or if it's emptying into a drain, could the drain be blocked or broken?  Depending on the type of soil you have, that could be contributing to (or causing) the problem.