9 Crown Row, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 0TH

Senior Sales Consultant
Anastasia is brilliant with people and loves creating new relationships. Perfect skills for her role at DY! Away from work she’s a keen gym bunny and enjoys taking her dog out on long walks, plus she’s a natural both in front of and behind the camera!
When I was younger I wanted to be…
A fashion stylist. Even now I still go around telling my family and friends what to wear and if they ever need advice they know who to come to.
Top of my bucket list is…
A skydive in Dubai.
You might be surprised to know…
I am a Grade 8 singer. When I was 10 years old I performed at the Royal Albert Hall and went on a music tour through Barcelona in 2017.
On Sunday mornings you can usually find me…
Giving my dog a lovely long walk around Virginia Water.
20 Feb 2018
Subsidence is the movement of your home’s structural fabric. Most houses have their load bearing walls built on strips of concrete foundations. Known as strip foundations, they are poured into trenches and are laid on undisturbed subsoil. Once set, the walls and any external brick skin are laid onto the strip foundation and the trench is then backfilled. Sometimes, when ground conditions demand, reinforced concrete slabs or ‘rafts’ are laid and the house effectively ‘floats’ on this raft.
Subsidence occurs when the house and its foundations are somehow undermined. In some cases, older properties were built onto the subsoil, without any concrete foundation. Over time, ground conditions might vary, causing subsidence or ground heave to present itself. The most likely causes of subsidence include;
Cracks from subsidence can appear and spread rapidly compared to regular cracks. They usually Present both inside and outside the property and may look narrower at one end. They usually run diagonally across the wall and can be found around doors and windows.
If you suspect a home might be suffering from subsidence, consider commissioning a building survey. If your building insurance covers subsidence, consider making a claim through your insurer. However, once a property has been the subject of a claim, it’s worth noting that future insurance premiums are likely to be affected.
Subsidence and the causes of it can usually be rectified fairly easily, with underpinning being the most usual remedy. This involves laying a more substantial foundation of concrete under the affected area. This can be expensive, but in many cases your house building insurance will cover it, perhaps subject to an excess payment of say £1,000.
Where a property has previously suffered from subsidence its marketability and value may be adversely affected. Furthermore, hiding the fact from potential purchasers if they ask will almost certainly be a serious matter resulting in contractual penalties.
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