Posts Tagged ‘Drains’

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Where would we be without trees?

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I have no objection to tree hugging although, in some cases, if the tree is too close to your home then I would advise you to get rid of the tree.

This is not being anti-tree (if there a term for this?). Instead I am simply recognizing that trees take a lot of water out of the ground and if the sub-soils heave or contract due to that influence then house stability may be compromised.

The graphic below (lifted from a national newspaper article – sorry about the jaded quality) shows “safe” distances whereby trees can safely co-exist with housing.

Approximate "safe distances" for trees to be close to housing.

If any one tree is within the “safe influencing distance” suggested then it could cause subsidence issues to your home and/or its drainage system.

Conversely, if a group of trees is clumped together they collectively could all be outside the safe distance but act as if within that safe distance.

House foundations are designed to accommodate some ground movements: in extremely bad soils (clays are the worst) foundations may have had to be especially designed and constructed to cope with such hostile conditions.

In other cases the danger that trees pose is indirect: consider tree roots being too close to a drain run (but well away from a home) – those roots can grow into the drains that then fracture and that water leakage either (1) removes fine deposits within your soil and that causes house subsidence or (2) that water swells the soil and that expansion causes soil “heave” (the opposite to subsidence) that causes the same massive damage to your home.

Removal of trees can also cause the ground to swell up (heave) and so tree removal is not something to be done without first taking professional advice.

So – foundations, trees, drains, sub-soil types and their various interactions are all connected. If you disturb that delicate balance inappropriately then you will have potential consequences that may not be insurable. On the face of such damage your insurance claims should be covered but if the insurers believe the damage was self-inflicted because you planted trees too close to your home, or removed them inappropriately, then you run the risk of your claim being reduced or completely thrown out.

This places the burden of maintaining trees firmly on landowners shoulders. Crowning, lopping, root pruning, root barriers, etc…. are all matters that may need to be considered when advising on trees.

Be warned.

If you are southern England and need advice and opinion, simply call me or use the CONTACT FORM above. Stuart Parrett.

Strange things do happen: it started with FLIES!

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Let the buyer beware

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A lady called me to ask why her new home was filled with flies. I don’t know, I replied, where are the flies? In my windows, she replied. Perhaps the frames or trickle-vents are not sealed properly? After a few minutes she insisted I call out to “look and advise” (for a small fee, of course).

Minor window frame seal problems accounted for the flies: two minutes inspection time was all that I needed. BUT…… like in Question of Sport on TV – what happened next?

Over a cup of coffee, whilst chatting through how she should tackle the builders, I simply said ‘why have you got such a large gap between floor and skirting boards (in her dining room)”?

Oh, that’s nothing – the Builders had to inject concrete under the floor for some reason just after we moved in. They drilled through the floor surface and a big machine pulled up outside and pumped concrete for ages, she reported. “But you have a suspended concrete floor and you cannot just pour concrete into the void under it” I replied.

After a while, after feeling very uneasy about what the Builders had done, I decided to stop and not alarm the lady owner. She did not pick up on my own alarm and so I left site and one happy client.

The following week I was in the offices of the Local Planning Authority on another matter and decided to have a quick look at the Building Control file of last week’s “fly visit”. To my utter astonishment I uncovered a nest of letters from one contractor to another; inputs from Engineers and the Developer HQ office and Site Manager (it was a large development). Engineers were concerned that surface water discharge systems on-site were causing the chalk sub-soils to liquefy and withdraw support for garages, roads, drains and housing above. The worst, thus far, was reported as my own clients’ home.

I studied the file and saw correspondence over about six months expressing concerns and debate about what should be done. In essence I had discovered a hornet’s nest. Land and buildings were subsiding and a land stabilization scheme had to be considered/implemented.

To cut a long story short we subsequently negotiated with the Developers to buy-back my clients home and to reimburse all her expenses and fees involved in moving into another home out of that area.

There are several stories here but the lesson to be learnt is that ANY HOME CAN HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS and it pays to take advice from a practical SURVEYOR; one that offers an exceptional after-sales service and has the skills to not only find faults. “Service” starts with the obvious but can diversify into multiple related other areas. In this case no Solicitors were required – this was quite unusual but did reduce costs considerably as we did not need to know exactly what was happening, just how the problem affected marketability and value. The problem remained with the Developer.

If you are in southern England and need advice simply call me or use the CONTACT FORM above. Stuart Parrett +44 (0)1489 896 174.

ARCHIVE ARTICLE THAT INCLUDES THE ONLY SURVEYOR JOKE I COULD FIND ON THE INTERNET:

MAN : This house is a ruin. I wonder what stops it from falling down.

SURVEYOR: I think the woodworm are holding hands!

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Who/What does the most damage to a home?

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Woodworm: Rot: Leaks: Frost: UV radiation: Acid rain: DIY: Cowboy-Contractors: Ground movements: Occupier neglect, ignorance & lack of maintenance: Poor design: Inappropriate materials: Storms: Damp/Condensation ?

Woodworm: Multiple forms of woodworm exist – some are “notifiable hazards”. Not usually treated until well-established. Can be costly if ignored for many years or you have Death Watch Beetle.

Rot: Basically only two main forms – Wet & Dry. Wet rot – treat/repair what you see. Dry rot – add a “0 or two” to what you think it might cost!

Contractors: Some are brilliant, some are not! Always get a recommendation – find out what is excluded/included. Always find out when payments are required.

Health & Safety is vital but it can also cause increased costs. Ignore standards and codes and YOU will be in trouble. Even simple low-costs repairs sometimes need massive access costs. Lives are lost needlessly every year because we ignore H&S!

Architects choose materials and designs that Builders must be familiar with to construct your dream home. Any mismatch of skills and understanding and the Surveyor will detect them when they become a problem later on (or advise you that XX may become a problem due to YY).

Suns rays degrade certain materials. Over-heating (thermal gain) can cause dimensional instability and cracking and inappropriate environmental standards.

Frost causes many materials to degrade or to de-laminate. Water pipes/drains can freeze and split/leak. Choose the wrong materials and early failure can occur. (Other materials within land and buildings also cause problems in differing weather or land conditions).

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The real answer to this riddle is “lack of, OR inappropriate monitoring and/or maintenance” causes the biggest problems. Any and every problem has a solution but the best answers always exist if problem diagnosis is both early and correct.

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This throws the spotlight on the -

(1)  common sense of the home owner/occupier (often DIY or Bob-the-Builder solutions make matters worse).

(2)  whether adequate insurances exist (under-insurance means your claim or claims will not be met, or only in part).

(3)  the experience and range of diagnosis tools of the Architect and/or Surveyor.

(4)  the knowledge and experience of all contractors and professionals employed to rectify the problems.

Nothing is perfect, all things degrade but the right choice of maintenance methods, choice of alterations and improvements, the choice of materials used, etc…. are all central to the quality of what you achieve with a property.

• Do you cut corners to meet your restricted budget?
• Is the cheapest contractor the best contractor?
• What alternatives to your needs may exist?
• Which is the best choice – basic repairs or green improvements to cut fuel costs?
• Have you pursued those alternatives to see if grants are available?
• Have you taken cost-v-value advice?
• Is it worth doing analysis OR would it be better to move to a better home?

The property cycle =  BUY  -  MAINTAIN  -  ALTER OR IMPROVE -  MAINTAIN  – UPGRADE & RENEW ELEMENTS  -  MAINTAIN  – MAKE A PROFIT OR LEAVE AN INHERITANCE

Your actions and decisions throughout the above property cycle will determine the eventual outcome of your initial investment in buying a home. Recessions come and go but, over the longer term, housing remains a good investment if you treat it wisely.

If you make the right decisions during your ownership of any home you will have a smile on your face: if you opt for DIY or bodged-solutions to problems, or, even worse, ignore problems or complete no maintenance at all, you enter a potential spiral of decline that may see your investment become a millstone around your neck from which you never financially or environmentally recover.

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Things to consider when investing in your next home.

• Can it be bought within budget?
• Have you the budget to maintain it?
• Have you commissioned and understood your own Surveyors Condition Report?
• Can and should you occasionally improve it to current green standards?
• Can you enlarge it if your space needs increase?
• Is there a price tone ceiling in your district (beyond this improvements may not add any value!)?
• Have you seen and understood the EPC on your potential new home?

• How exposed to frost and prevailing weather patterns is your potential next home?
• Is it within a known flood-plain?
• Does adequate, effective site/surface drainage exist?
• Has it been built upon, or next to, contaminated or filled ground?
• Can you obtain Buildings Insurance and at reasonable premiums without high excess payments?
• Is it traditionally or system built and is that method of construction mortgageable?

Do you need help in fully understanding the answers to the above information? CALL PROINSPECT.