House advice

[AyrTroopMajor]

Looking for some advice from you fine people :

Myself and my partner have noticed signs that our (11 year old) house may be beginning to be affected by subsidence. The floors have become slightly uneven, there is a faint smell of dampness and our front door seems to be a touch out of alignment. Googling this stuff, it seems that these are all signs of subsidence.

Has anyone got any experience of this? We are really not sure what to do at all. Insurance would possibly cover it (Would have to pay £1,000 excess though I think) but I fear this may put a black mark against the house and harm the re-sell value. There is also the probably morally wrong option of trying to move asap but we only just moved in a year or so ago and it is a little bit away from being ready to be sold as we're in the middle of re-decorating the garden.

Any advice would be appreciated, whether it be expert advice or just what you would do in our situation.

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by AyrTroopMajor

[19QOS19]

Windows down, heating up full blast.

[ICTJohnboy]

24 minutes ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Looking for some advice from you fine people :

Myself and my partner have noticed signs that our (11 year old) house may be beginning to be affected by subsidence. The floors have become slightly uneven, there is a faint smell of dampness and our front door seems to be a touch out of alignment. Googling this stuff, it seems that these are all signs of subsidence.

Has anyone got any experience of this? We are really not sure what to do at all. Insurance would possibly cover it (Would have to pay £1,000 excess though I think) but I fear this may put a black mark against the house and harm the re-sell value. There is also the probably morally wrong option of trying to move asap but we only just moved in a year or so ago and it is a little bit away from being ready to be sold as we're in the middle of re-decorating the garden.

Any advice would be appreciated, whether it be expert advice or just what you would do in our situation.

 

 

Are any of your neighbours experiencing similar signs of subsidence?

[Rugster]

35 minutes ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Looking for some advice from you fine people :

Myself and my partner have noticed signs that our (11 year old) house may be beginning to be affected by subsidence. The floors have become slightly uneven, there is a faint smell of dampness and our front door seems to be a touch out of alignment. Googling this stuff, it seems that these are all signs of subsidence.

Has anyone got any experience of this? We are really not sure what to do at all. Insurance would possibly cover it (Would have to pay £1,000 excess though I think) but I fear this may put a black mark against the house and harm the re-sell value. There is also the probably morally wrong option of trying to move asap but we only just moved in a year or so ago and it is a little bit away from being ready to be sold as we're in the middle of re-decorating the garden.

Any advice would be appreciated, whether it be expert advice or just what you would do in our situation.

 

Moving won't solve it, if it's as obvious as you say a home report will show it up and prospective buyers will run a mile. I think a structural engineer is what you need to take a look at it. Check your home report again from when you moved in, if there were no signs of it and it's just appeared then your insurance should cover you.

[throbber]

I would quite like to live in a house that’s on a slight piste tbh. Quirky.

[AyrTroopMajor]

49 minutes ago, ICTJohnboy said:

 

Are any of your neighbours experiencing similar signs of subsidence?

Nothing aside from the front door sticking, which again is a sign that there could be subsidence.

37 minutes ago, Rugster said:

Moving won't solve it, if it's as obvious as you say a home report will show it up and prospective buyers will run a mile. I think a structural engineer is what you need to take a look at it. Check your home report again from when you moved in, if there were no signs of it and it's just appeared then your insurance should cover you.

The Home Report flagged nothing up so it has just became apparent since we moved in. Wary of going to insurance but not sure what our alternative would be.

[ICTJohnboy]

1 minute ago, MixuFixit said:

Take door off hinges, plane off one corner, put back on hinges, sell house

 

Good idea, but he'll still need a Home Report.

Maybe you could do that for him for a small fee.

[Romeo]

Would I be right in thinking that an 11 year old house might still be covered under some kind of builders warranty?

[true_rover]

Would I be right in thinking that an 11 year old house might still be covered under some kind of builders warranty?

Unlikely, the NHBC guarantee is 10 years.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Looking for some advice from you fine people :
Myself and my partner have noticed signs that our (11 year old) house may be beginning to be affected by subsidence. The floors have become slightly uneven, there is a faint smell of dampness and our front door seems to be a touch out of alignment. Googling this stuff, it seems that these are all signs of subsidence.
Has anyone got any experience of this? We are really not sure what to do at all. Insurance would possibly cover it (Would have to pay £1,000 excess though I think) but I fear this may put a black mark against the house and harm the re-sell value. There is also the probably morally wrong option of trying to move asap but we only just moved in a year or so ago and it is a little bit away from being ready to be sold as we're in the middle of re-decorating the garden.
Any advice would be appreciated, whether it be expert advice or just what you would do in our situation.
 

Could be expansion due to recent weather both heat and rain can cause expansion so if any part of the door or surrounding frame is wood and exposed it may have expanded. Similarly internal flooring if wooden can expand and if the gap required at the skirting is too small again your floor can become uneven.

[Ross.]

42 minutes ago, throbber said:

I would quite like to live in a house that’s on a slight piste tbh. Quirky.

Building I live in is about 800 years old and none of the floors are flat. If you stand in the hall and look straight down into the spare room, you can see the curvature. Quirky is one word for it. Complete pain in the arse is another.

[philpy]

To be fair, you always get piste in your own house.

I would quite like to live in a house that’s on a slight piste tbh. Quirky.

[Gordon EF]

Burn it. Set up a justgiving page. Profit.

[AyrTroopMajor]

1 hour ago, Romeo said:

Would I be right in thinking that an 11 year old house might still be covered under some kind of builders warranty?

As has been said, unfortunately the Builders' Warranty is only 10 years. I suspect, but can't confirm, that the wee cow that lived there before knew there were issues and got out of there as quickly as possible. 

[tamthebam]

A map of the Ayrshire coalfields might be useful... if the house is new there's probably a good reason the land wasn't built on before....

Invite an Orange/Republican band* to march around your living room to check if the house is built on top of a mineshaft..

 

*delete as to your flavour of bigotry.

[Romeo]

3 minutes ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

As has been said, unfortunately the Builders' Warranty is only 10 years. I suspect, but can't confirm, that the wee cow that lived there before knew there were issues and got out of there as quickly as possible. 

Shite mate.

Could it just be normal settlement? What about your neighbours; they having any problems?

[19QOS19]

Burn it. Set up a justgiving page. Profit.

Still reading Grimbo's autobiography I see.

[alta-pete]

As others have said and adding:

1. I'd be surprised if a house that has stood for 10 years started substantially moving a year after you move in;

2. The Coal Report is a requirement for most of Ayrshire. You'd have had one done when you bought the house and clearly it didn't give your mortgage providers anything to worry about;

3. Smell of dampness - do you tend to have your windows closed most of the time? Modern houses do not 'breathe' like older ones. You need to actively encourage airflow particularly around the kitchen, bathroom and he regularly used bedrooms (ie, when you're in, have the windows open); The PnB 'windows down and heating up full blast' is actually good practical advice!

4. Is the door upvc or timber? if upvc it could simply have slipped out of alignment and needs a wee adjustment. If timber, as has been said, excessive moisture/poor painterwork can cause swelling and the need for a wee plane; 

5. The flooring - if laminate type stuff and the house is not adequately ventilated (see 3.) it will absorb moisture and expand. If the fitters did not leave expansion gaps it will cause the flooring to spring.

 

 

[DA Baracus]

 

[Widge]

Would also ask what type of construction it is, given it’s 11 years old I’m going to assume it’s a timber frame? What’s the outside clad with, it is it rendered? There will usually be telltale signs around windows and door frames if it’s actually subsidence.

Given it’s all timber elements (assuming the door is) and you’re smelling damp, I’d be inclined to side with what others have said and suggest it’s a result of expansion and contraction with the materials rather than the foundations! Having seen similar in a building more than 10 times the age, it was a leaking pipe under the floor that had caused the flooring to warp and this had a knock on effect with the door. Depending on which floor is affected and your heating system that might be a simpler explanation.