Page 2 | Buying a house with underpinning

emmathedilemma · 08/09/2021 13:14

@homebuyer34

when you sell the underpinned house, was it easy? Did it take long to sell???? Were there many cracks??

my parent's house was underpinned probably 30 years ago due to subsidence, along with the adjoining semi, and whilst they haven't tried to sell it since, it definitely doesn't have an issue with cracks in the walls at all and the one next door sold some years ago.

TheLette · 08/09/2021 17:26

My house is underpinned but only a tiny bit and as a precautionary measure due to next door's basement excavation. It initially made our insurance a bit more expensive but I'm not sure it does now we have been there a while. It wasn't an issue when we tried to sell the house (sale collapsed for other reasons). I think the reason for underpinning is key.

Zinnia · 08/09/2021 23:08

We're about to have our Victorian terrace underpinned as part of extension works, following subsidence (trees, which were the cause, removed). I actually think our house might have suffered more because our neighbours' place, which is adjoined the full length of the building, was underpinned in the 80s and is consequently rock solid.

Structurally I'm hugely relieved as I feel at last the anxiety of the subsidence will be behind us, but I am worried about insurance premiums and what will happen when we decide to sell, albeit we have no plans to do so in the foreseeable future.

Seems a bit mad that underpinned houses are seen as more of a risk when they are the ones that have actually been made more sound!

ShingleBeach · 09/09/2021 09:53

Our structural surveyor said that our underpinned house was a very good bet, and that on London clay a lot of houses built with shallow foundations really benefit from underpinning.

It all depends on the build, the cause and the reason.

A blanket refusal to consider an underpinned house is irrational, IMO.

mumwon · 09/09/2021 11:00

I was once told that in South London most pre war houses have tilted roof supports du to near by bombing!
Seriously op when underpinning is done the house holder should have had the issue that caused the subsidence fixed ie drains or tree roots (trees removed) they should have details of what caused the issues & how it was fixed & by whom. & checks that it has worked.
Get good surveyor or structural engineer to check & give you a report & show them the paper work
& maybe offer less

myheartskippedabeat · 09/09/2021 13:00

Please don't do this
It'll cause you no end of trouble if you want to re-sell, apply for future planning permission eg an extension or even house insurance could be an issue

I'd buy something else

FurierTransform · 09/09/2021 13:07

The way I like to think about underpinned houses:

Imagine there are 2 Victorian semi-detached houses for sale, next door to each other.
Due to being built on clay & having old foundations, one had some cracks appear a few years ago, was surveyed, underpinned, monitored and confirmed all solid.
The other one has no history of being underpinned or any obvious visible issues/cracking.

Which is the better buy?
...I think it would be madness to buy the one with an apparent clean history.

myheartskippedabeat · 09/09/2021 13:55

@FurierTransform

The way I like to think about underpinned houses:

Imagine there are 2 Victorian semi-detached houses for sale, next door to each other.
Due to being built on clay & having old foundations, one had some cracks appear a few years ago, was surveyed, underpinned, monitored and confirmed all solid.
The other one has no history of being underpinned or any obvious visible issues/cracking.

Which is the better buy?
...I think it would be madness to buy the one with an apparent clean history.

Yes this is a very good point

However there are so many houses on the market at the moment it's a buyers market why buy something that could cause potential problems x

ShingleBeach · 10/09/2021 09:44

We sold our s London underpinned house as soon as it hit the market, no issues at all. Had all the paperwork in place, a surveyor that confirmed to the buyers that on clay a house with (typically) shallow foundations (remember Victorian terraces often have none) with underpinning or other strengthening was a much better bet than a similar house with none, as long as the original cause (tree) had been dealt with.

Blanket scaremongering is not helpful.

Zinnia · 11/09/2021 01:22

@ShingleBeach you have given me hope! This is my rationale entirely, not that we're looking to sell any time soon.

homebuyer34 · 19/09/2021 22:36

Hello
i am in the process of buying an underpinned house. ( underpinned 6-7 yrs ago due to weak foundation and a recent subsidence claim due to tree root nearby vegetation in Jan 2021, all rectified & solved)
Solicitors forwarded me some docs that are as following:

completion from council building control, 2)underpinning drawing map,
subsidence report,
certificate of structural adequacy.

Do you think I have given correct papers? Is it safe to buy?
I heard an underpinned house will be stronger on that side than neighbouring houses, if the work has been done under the supervision of a structural engineer and signed-off properly.

homebuyer34 · 03/10/2021 21:44

@myheartskippedabeat

Please don't do this It'll cause you no end of trouble if you want to re-sell, apply for future planning permission eg an extension or even house insurance could be an issue

I'd buy something else

I heard an underpinned house will be stronger on that side than neighbouring houses, if the work has been done under the supervision of a structural engineer and signed-off properly.

Structural engineer said an underpinned house is solid. Engineered to withstand the previous pressures put on it, it essentially gives foundations to houses that have no foundations. Period houses have very little in the way of foundations. It was standard construction.
The problem is usually a lack of education and for anyone ready to walk away, there are still plenty willing to buy.

homebuyer34 · 03/10/2021 21:53

@Merrow

We've just offered on a house and the estate agent has informed us that it has been underpinned. I've never heard of this before and some frantic googling suggests that the common consensus is to walk away. I've asked for more details about why exactly the underpinning was required (I expect as a result of an extension rather than subsidence) but I'm not really sure what are sensible questions to ask and what I should be concerned about. Any advice for the utterly clueless?

Period properties weren't built with much in the way of foundations. I've seen substantial houses resting on a couple of courses below ground, with one brick turned at a 90 degree angle for them to sit on. Bay windows were built with even less in the way of foundations, so it's fairly common to get differential movement - all houses move.

If you are buying any period property it will have no foundations. This house wasn't special. If you are buying a period property in the same area it will also probably have the same soil make up. You swap a stigma of it having been underpinned for the actual risk of a house that might need it one day. Both houses need the same care, the one that is underpinned is better primed for the future.

MindatWork · 03/10/2021 22:51

@homebuyer34 is there any particular reason you’re resurrecting old threads about underpinning and copy pasting identical posts onto them all?

homebuyer34 · 04/10/2021 08:08

Have you been checking all my post? Then you must be very keen in this issue. I am not copy pasting every post.

There are some ppl who are writing very negative opinion about it and i am giving my opinions.