The question is: Do I need to underpin my house?  Good question!  First off, let us explain what underpinning is.

Underpinning is essentially the process of reinforcing the foundation of a building (your house) to make sure it is structurally sound and can support its own weight.

There’s a few ways to tell if your house needs to be underpinning and we have listed 3 common causes below.

If any of these apply…  it’s better to be safe than sorry so give us a call on 08 9303 9297.

Cracks in the walls or floor

There are a 101 reasons as to why there are cracks in the walls – poor construction being at the top of list.

However, large cracks in walls can occur when there is uneven weight distribution on them caused by a weak foundation.  If it is just a crack in the plaster or something superficial – then not to worry.  But for anything not superficial, it should be looked at immediately.

Subsidence

In the simplest terms possible, subsidence is when the ground sinks.

There are a number of causes of subsidence, not limited to heavy rain, flooding and minor earth tremors.  But the problem with this occurring is that when the soil pulls away from the foundation of the house, there is a loss of soil supporting the foundation when means it now needs to be strengthened.

The key is to look our for top layers of soil which form small, irregular ‘trenches’ around the edge of the building.

If you see any signs of subsidence, get in touch right away.

Tree Roots

Everybody loves trees!… except your foundation.  It’s always very important to keep a close eye on trees that are planted near the structure as the roots will grow towards the foundation of the house.  Roots can impose a tremendous amount of pressure on your foundation causing it to crack.  When your foundation is cracked and weak, it needs to be underpinned to give more support and stability to the structure.