My neighbours, who I hadn’t seen since the summer, popped in for coffee a couple of weeks ago and in conversation asked if I’d had any wall cracks appear in the last six months. Seems the dry spell caused settlement locally and played havoc with foundations (or excuses for same). Their pool local technique was a victim, it fell down under pressure from a rogue restanque.
Anyway, their diagnosis was that since I hadn’t had any shift, my place was solidly constructed. Which was comforting because I wouldn’t have appreciated a bill to shore the place up.
As at 6/3/2017… interesting info… could be worth checking what your house policy covers
…
An insurer will only take care of the Claim due to a Natural Disaster on the condition that you are effectively insured against this type of Disaster… and that the state of Natural Disaster is confirmed by a Ministerial Decree.
If you are a victim, you must declare it to your Insurer as soon as possible, and no later than 10 days after the official publication of the Natural Disaster Decree.
(A good reason why folk should report incidents as they occur… and help build up the overall picture… )
Thank you all very much indeed! The walls are a foot or so thick, they are plastered inside, so no crack visible. The external walls have one, main dividing wall in the centre of the property, fireplaces both ends. So effectively two boxes. There is a property wide cellar - so it is three storey, with the living quarters on the top two floors.
It was a small crack when we bought the property four years ago (a couple of feet or so) - and has extended down the wall since then. The property was bought by the people before us to renovate, they, as far as I can ascertain, structurally had only taken out the fire mantle on the Western end - this was a huge, heavy mantle.
We have had the property re-roofed, have put down pipes (there was damp in the N/E corner where there was no down pipe).
The North wall has the crack, but the Western end chimney stack (brick) also has severe cracking - I looked yesterday to take the photos.
I now have photos - and will work out how to post them next.
Hmm Jane, the re roof and subsequent guttering and downpipe additions may have allowed the ground where it was once wet to slowly dry and shrink.
I the UK our neighbor a builder, used to water his foundations periodically to prevent the London clay shrinking. We copied the idea and didn’t suffer movement whereas some of our neighbors did. Just a thought. The two cracks do look as if that corner could be shrinking/subsiding.
Hello Sarah. We live in the Auvergne (Allier) so asking where you are as we have used builders etc in our house renovation. I notice the back of the house is on a quite steep slope and the crack does appear to run from the roof around the chimney to ground level which might indicate footings (if there are any) movement. But I agree would be better to get 2 or 3 builders into get their comments and Devis… Let us know where you are as we are now residents.
Hi all, I would like to add my ten cents worth.
An ‘old builder’ and quantity surveyor with many years experience.
Firstly I am very glad to see an engineer, Peter responding. I have more faith in engineers than surveyors or masons.
Two things stand out to me, and would venture that they are working in conjunction with each other against you.
Firstly, the addition of the guttering and down pipe. If the down pipe discharges onto the ground at the base of the wall and not piped away at least 2 meters, this could cause settlement of the stone foundation . I have witnessed this a lot even on new houses.
Secondly, the house was built over 100 years ago, if you look at the proximity to the road, I’m sure a hundred horse drawn carriages passing per day would not set up any vibration to affect the foundation. Today you have 30 tonne vehicles passing very close. Over time this is bound to settle the stone foundations. Peter you views please.
Insurance in France, as we say in Aus, it’s a joke! Just don’t touch AVIVA.
