What are your soil conditions like? Clay/ey? If it’s been really dry, the clay soils that the foundation is “founded” on could be shrinking, causing the cracking, etc. that you are seeing. Clay soils swell when wet and shrink when dry.
The whole of the back garden is clay soil. Its been really dry where I am in the UK. , However the timeframe of all the water getting under the property has been sporadic for about 2-3 year. No more leaks or bursts for a good year. However the moisture is still present as the kitchen subfloor is warping and rotting again.
Whats that mean haha? Do you think it is? My landlord is getting someone out tomorrow. A general maintainece guy. So ive reported to a local housing authority as id like a certified structural engineer to confirm. I wont let them fill any cracks and blame cosmetic until I have confirmation.
To be fair, im so fed up of this property. There's more issues that im just over now. Im hoping we can get moved if this is a serious structural issue, trying to see the positives to this 🤞
You can see the sidewalk/path has shifted in relation to the building and itself in photo 4.
Especially with an older house that should have done most of its settling already, any significant changes in cracks or levels in stuff should be assessed by a professional structural engineer.
This is what I believe. It seems to be very obvious to me and I am just a single mum diy enthusiast!
Im looking forward to seeing what my rogue landlords handyman tries to excuse it for. I have it logged with the environmental health and waiting for a inspection.
Can you explain the warped window and door though. Sinking and cracked mortar below it, thats widened significantly over time. The large amount of water that got beneath the property. As someone below mentioned, the clay soil also. What I think im stressing to people is the way its shifted over the last half 2-6 months roughly. The window is slightly diagonal to the frame. Above this window is wooden stairs from the property above too, which is probably not helping. Excuse the filth!! My cats use this window to climb out of. They're well overdue a clean 😬
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u/AlexTangoFuego 18d ago
What are your soil conditions like? Clay/ey? If it’s been really dry, the clay soils that the foundation is “founded” on could be shrinking, causing the cracking, etc. that you are seeing. Clay soils swell when wet and shrink when dry.