Subsidence
This site has been designed with our domestic customers in mind, we have much more detailed technical information on our main commercial/trade website.
Subsidence is a diagnosis that strikes fear into many home owners. AWT have many years of experience in guiding homeowners through the process of repairing subsidence damage.
- Distorted brickwork
- Cracked brickwork
- Dropped brickwork arches above doors or windows
- Cracked or drooping stonework above doors and windows
- Difficulty opening doors and windows
An AWT survey can identify if your home’s structural problems are due to subsidence i.e. downward movement of the supporting footing at ground level and/or another defect.
Superstructure Reinforcement
The house in the photos is a large Victorian property with a cellar. Underpinning had been completed to prevent further subsidence but the structural integrity of the building had already been compromised.
AWT’s used their specially designed equipment to strengthen and reinforce the walls. The bay window brickwork was also reconnected with the main body of the house. Cracks caused by the subsidence were repaired with a technique called “Crack Stitching”. Finally the pointing was reinstated in a colour and style to match the existing pointing.
Superstructure Stabilisation
The rear extension of this Victorian terrace house was showing the classic signs of subsidence damage. Distorted brickwork, cracked and dropped arches above the windows, bulging brickwork, localised cracking and leaning brickwork all pointed to subsidence.
AWT carried out a thorough survey and determined that the subsidence was historic and not ongoing. This meant that underpinning and strengthening of the foundations was not required. However, the walls of the house had been destabilised by the subsidence and required remedial work to ensure the long term stability of the house.
Previous repairs to the house had proved ineffective, but AWT’s specialist knowledge allowed them to make permanent repairs without the need for visible bars and braces on the walls.
The walls were reinforced with AWT special joint reinforcement system. The window lintels were repaired and reinforced and localised cracks were stitched together. Lateral restraints were added to restrain bowing brickwork.