Has building caused subsidence?

[elvislives]

Just been back for a second viewing on a house that needs a lot of work. Behind the house they have knocked down all the houses in a close and are digging out for rebuilding- that close is slightly lower than the road the property we looked at is on.

Today we noticed that the floor upstairs isn't level. I have quite sensitive balance and I felt really "drunk". There was a definite slope down towards the back. I am 100% certain that it wasn't like that on the first viewing. Even DH who doesn't usually notice said it was definitely sloping. Downstairs didn't feel odd.

Is it likely that the building works have caused the house to slip? It's a metal house so there is no brickwork/ plaster to crack.

If it is subsiding/ slipping am I right in assuming that (a) it's expensive to fix and (b) the b/soc won't give us the money?

What's a metal house?

also asking what you mean by a metal house?

Do you mean a steel framed house? these were a common form for social housing in the 50s/60s. And although they have a metal frame, they still have an external walling structure that will probably be brickwork.

Wonky floors from past subsidence that has either settled or been stopped, is in itself nothing to worry about, and if historical shouldn't cause any problems with getting a mortgage. Subsidence caused by the neighbouring demolitions would be for the owners of the next door site to sort out.

However, steel framed houses can have some inherent problems, notably corrosion of the bases of the steel columns which might explain movement of the upstairs floors but not the downstairs (this would usually be a concrete slab bearing on the ground)

If you are serious about the house you need to find out how recent the movement is, whether the reason for it has been dealt with and that it isn't likely to cause any ongoing issues. If it has been a problem with the frame and the current owners have had it fixed they should be pretty upfront about it. I would also suggest getting a full structural survey from an engineer who has experience of steel framed housing.

But, as a structural engineer, I wouldn't touch one of these houses with a bargepole!

It's a metal framed house built in 1949. Corrugated metal at the top of the house and blocks at the bottom. It's not this actual house but it is the same style.

It definitely didn't feel odd on 30 April when we viewed for the first time but today it did, suggesting recent movement.

Interesting that you wouldn't touch it with a bargepole... there are loads here and my mum lives in one! Is there a specific reason you wouldn't?

right, sounds like post war prefabricated buildings.....meant as a temporary solution to housing issues post war iirc, but many still going strong!

Have you asked the current house owners about it? if is is as a result of the recent works, then the adjacent site needs to take responsibility for putting it right, or it needs to be claimed through the current owners buildings insurance. I'm not sure how an ongoing claim would affect a house purchase though; your estatte agent/solicitor would know more about that.

My reticence stems from having come across this type of housing through the course of my job and knowing the sort of costly things that can go wrong with them. Problems with the structural frame due to corrosion etc generally aren't covered by the buildings insurance as they are a wear and tear type issue. And I know from when my sister was looking at buying a steel framed house that getting a mortgage on a non-standard house type one can be difficult. She couldn't get anyone to lend her more than 60% of the valuation iirc and some mortgage lenders wouldn't lend on this type of property.

Regardless of whether this movement is new or historical though, I would recommend a full structural survey before you think about putting in an offer.

Good Luck

Thanks