What Happens During a Subsidence Survey?

What Is a Subsidence Survey?

A subsidence survey is a non-invasive assessment of your property's structure and the ground conditions beneath it. It's designed to answer three questions: Is subsidence occurring? What's causing it? And what's the best course of action? The whole process typically takes 1–2 hours depending on the property size. There's no obligation, no charge, and you'll receive a written report of our findings.

Step 1: Visual Inspection

Our engineer walks around the exterior and interior of your property, documenting any visible signs of movement. They're looking for specific patterns — not just any crack. Diagonal cracks radiating from window and door corners are the classic indicator. They'll also check for gaps between walls and ceilings, distortion around openings, and uneven floors.

Step 2: Crack Assessment

Not all cracks indicate subsidence. Our engineer assesses each crack for width, direction, and pattern. This is where experience matters — the difference between a harmless shrinkage crack and a subsidence crack is often subtle.

Step 3: Ground Conditions Review

Understanding the soil beneath your property is critical. Our engineer evaluates soil type, drainage, nearby trees, and any previous construction work. In Cheshire, this step is particularly important because the county has such varied geology — from salt-bearing Mercia Mudstone in Northwich to Coal Measures around Macclesfield and glacial clays across much of the county. Each creates different subsidence risks.

Step 4: Level Survey

Using precision laser equipment, we measure floor levels and foundation depths across the property. We're looking for differential settlement — where one part of the building has moved more than another. Even small differences of a few millimetres can confirm active subsidence. This data also helps us design the right repair solution later.

Step 5: Report & Recommendations

Within a few days, you'll receive a detailed report covering our findings, the likely cause, and our recommended repair approach. This might be continued monitoring, resin injection, underpinning, or another solution depending on what we find. If your property is insured and the damage qualifies as subsidence, we can also help you start the insurance claims process.

What Happens After the Survey?

If subsidence is confirmed, we'll discuss repair options with you. The most common solutions are resin injection (fast, minimally invasive, often completed in a day) and underpinning (more traditional, suitable for severe cases). In many situations, we can begin work within a few weeks of the survey.

• Resin injection — best for moderate subsidence, completed in 1 day, no excavation needed
• Underpinning — best for severe cases, permanent foundation strengthening
• Monitoring — recommended when movement is minor and may stabilise naturally
• Void filling — used when underground cavities are contributing to settlement