Why would this 100 year old house collapse like this?

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

This story caught my eye because it is quite near me and I walk through street after street of London terraces like this every day.

I can't remember anything like this ever happening before.

not a Daily Mail link

They took out all the internal walls and didn't put up acros

Really dodgy builders

Hope the householders are properly insured

WOAH that is seriosuly uncool to happen!

ALL the internal walls had been removed? Well that was a fucking stupid thing to do.

Hope the owners were insured

From a neighbour: “It was really exciting, there was a big crunch and a big cloud of dust, it was like a bomb had gone off."

Nice and supportive there

Such a shame. They are lovely houses. Even I (who knows zero about building) knows you don't take supporting walls out without something to replace the support. I can't imagine even the worst cowboy builders making that sort of mistake ... but maybe they have?

Roof spread and pushed the front and back wall out by the look of it. Then the weight of the roof took out what was left of the first floor. Our previous house like that had the roof propped off the centre wall.

I've heard of this happening in properties where cellars have been added and the house just doesn't have the foundations to cope with it, but taking out all the internal walls?! Who does that? I know diddly-squat about building but would understand that you can't do that without dire consequences!

Does insurance cover ridiculous decisions like removing all the walls?!?

Eeep. Someone is going to be in trouble.....

That's awful! We have a similar house and had a bit of roof spread that had to be urgently sorted when we moved in.

I'd bet they were not allowed planning permission for what they wanted, and this mistake by cowboy builders accident means they can rebuild to their hearts content

but I am a cynical wee soul.

Kirsty Allsopp's hammer has a lot to answer for.

oh hope not TondelayaDellaVentamiglia

Its a bit lie how isn't it funny all the trees that are in the way of a development suddenly die :--(

I'd be very surprised if this is insured. Builders so inept they don't use steels and props are unlikely to have the correct insurance and your own domestic buildings insurance is void the whole time you have builders in the house (it seems NOBODY knows this so I'm telling you all now!)

tondelaya thats exactly what me and dh were just saying because really, could anybody be that stupid?

I know house prices are now crashing in London but I didn't think actual houses to collapse as well.

When I lived in SE London I heard of this happening a few times, funnily enough. Dodgy builders I was told

You need to tell your insurance company what work you're planning before getting the builders in and ask to increase your cover

If they say you don't need to you need to get it in writing that you don't

"gradually the whole roof sagged outwards and some of it fell off."

If the roof spread, it was probably because some of the roof timbers had been cut, as often happens when people attempt a non-compliant amateur loft conversion.

Though it could also happen if a central wall supporting a join in the ceiling joists had been taken away.

Surprisingly, it's the roof that prevents the walls falling over. The triangular shape of a pitched roof is very strong and stable unless you interfere with it.

This is what can happen when you don't do things properly. No matter how much you like open plan, the structure still needs to obey the laws of physics. I suspect that if its a small building firm they will end up going bust (& opening up under another name) and the homeowner will end up out of pocket.

Reminds me of that removal men song - think by Bernard Cribbons. "Right, said Fred, got to get a move one, this ere wall is going to have to go...." or however it went

Guess the neighbours have gone from having a mid terrace to having a semi which is a bonus.

I can't imagine why they would "deliberately" let it collapse? There is only a finite amount of space. All the surrounding streets are the same sort of terraces. What would be to gain from rebuilding from scratch?

I'm surprised that the neighbours aren't a little concerned for themselves. It can't do the structure of their house much goo to suddenly have a hole next to them.

There was one in Hackney a couple of years ago where all the residents of a terrace had an emergency evacuation after a load-bearing wall collapsed. IIRC it was demolished within a couple of days. I find it simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. Imagine being in one of those houses and being chucked out without even being able to get your stuff? Poor buggers.