A residential tenant in Weybridge, Surrey had expressed concerns about various cracks occurring, as well as sticking doors, in their rented property, and had serious concerns about the structural safety of the building.
Structural Engineers Reports Ltd were contacted by the landlord who was seeking a reputable, independent, and highly experienced structural engineering firm practising in the Surrey area.
In response to the client’s requirements our qualified Chartered Structural Engineer recommended a Specific Structural Inspection report.
SERL offers two types of structural reports:
1) A localised, specific, and limited Specific Structural Inspection (SSI) report or a Structural Engineers Defect Report.
2) A broader General Structural Inspection Report (GSI) or Structural Engineers General Movement Report which focuses on matters of cracking and movement.
The property was a substantial Victorian double-fronted house in Weybridge, Surrey which had been rented out over many years and was extremely tired both inside and out. The local geology of this area of Surrey is generally sands and gravels, not clay, so this was not an obvious area for significant subsidence risks.
We determined that the cracking was historic and non-progressive. The pattern of cracking suggested that these cracks occurred when the modern concrete beam lintel was installed by a builder, when the original brick arch was replaced. It is common for some cracking to occur during the installation of such beams.
Internally we found various plaster cracks in the corner between the rear wall and abutting internal walls and ceilings.
We were able to reassure both the landlord and the tenant and advise that the cracks could be routinely repaired during the next planned maintenance at a cost of a few thousands of pounds. We provided the names of two specialist repair contractors who would be able to carry out the work.
The landlord was hugely relieved as they feared that the house in Weybridge may have required underpinning which would have incurred huge costs in the region of tens of thousands of pounds. The landlord wished they had contacted us sooner as they had been worrying about the cracks for many years but had not done anything about them.