Subcidence detached garage

wheres me jumpa · 17-06-2023 2:33pm #1

We viewed a house this morning that had a signficiant crack in an exterior wall of a detached garage. I am no expert but reasonably sure its subsidence.

No such cracks in the house, doors windows all seem fine.

Before I get into a bidding process I am wondering what people's thoughts are. Run away?

What tests can I do via engineer to validate the house, or even with tests is the house a risk?

muffler · 17-06-2023 6:37pm

While its not ideal I wouldnt let the issue of the garage put you off buying if it can be got for a reasonable price. However you will need an engineer to look it over (house) before committing yourself. Its not uncommon for a detached garage to be constructed "cheaply" during or after construction of the dwelling house. Sometimes these are rushed jobs where the garage is located on the worst/weaker part of the site or perhaps built on a slab on top of filled ground (I've seen this several times) or simply shortage of funds at the time equates to poor workmanship and materials. You will need confirmation from the vendor though regarding the cracking in the garage.

Regarding the house there are a few "tell tale" signs that indicate subsidence. Im not going to state those here but you should get an engineer to give it the once over. This would be a walk through type inspection which is non invasive and isnt conclusive but will give you a damned good idea of what you are buying. There would be more invasive inspections necessary before establishing if there is subsidence but I cant really see it coming to that.