Wimborne Minster · Dorset
Extension pulling away repairs in Wimborne Minster
If the corner joint in your Wimborne Minster extension keeps splitting after you fill it, something is still moving. Measuring the gap over a few months, with dated photos, gives an engineer the evidence to recommend the right repair.
Guide price from£620per junction inc VAT
- Postcodes
- BH17, BH18, BH21
- Population
- about 16,000
- Area
- Dorset
- Pricing region
- South West
What is the ground like in Dorset?
Wimborne Minster is in Dorset and takes in postcode districts BH17, BH18, BH21. About 16,000 people live there. If you are just outside Wimborne Minster, we also cover Ferndown (4 miles), Poole (5 miles) and Bournemouth (6 miles).
Parts of Dorset have clay that can shrink near trees in dry spells. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Across Dorset, most homes are stone and brick villages, Victorian villas in Bournemouth, and inter-war and post-war semis.
Methods for extension pulling away repairs
Movement joint and making good
Where some seasonal movement is expected to continue, the junction is formed into a proper flexible movement joint with a compressible filler and sealant, so the two parts can move without cracking. Flashings and internal finishes are detailed to suit.
Best for: Minor ongoing movement that does not threaten the structure
Underpinning the extension
If the extension is still dropping because its footings are too shallow or on poor ground, they are taken deeper by mass concrete, beam-and-base or mini-piles. The engineer designs the scheme, and the junction is repaired once the new foundation is in.
Best for: Active movement from shallow footings, roots or soft ground
From first photo to finished repair
Find what is moving
An independent chartered structural engineer can inspect, and we can arrange one. A drain survey under the extension, a trial pit at its footing and tell-tale monitoring across the joint are common checks before choosing the repair.
Choose the fix
The engineer decides between ties, a movement joint or underpinning. We confirm a fixed price in writing once the repair is specified, covering the junction, flashings, internal finishes and any foundation work.
Finish and hand over
Internal corners are replastered, skirtings and coving refixed, and doors or windows in the extension eased where the movement affected them. Records of the repair and any approvals are passed to you.
Symptoms that point to extension pulling away repairs
- Floor level dropping where the extension and house floors meet
- A vertical crack or gap where the extension meets the house
- Daylight or draughts showing through the internal corner joint
Guide prices for extension pulling away repairs in Wimborne Minster
These are guide prices for Wimborne Minster, using South West rates and including VAT. Your written quote follows photos or a survey, and is fixed once the repair is specified.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Junction crack repair with stainless tiesest. | £620 – £2,050 | per junction |
| Movement joint and making goodest. | £410 – £1,250 | per junction |
| Underpinning the extension where needed | £1,050 – £2,600 | per metre of wall |
Rules for extension pulling away repairs in England
In England, underpinning and other work that alters or strengthens a wall or foundation is building work under the Building Regulations (Part A, structure), so building control approves and inspects it. Like-for-like repairs often are not, and we tell you which applies before a price is agreed. Work to a party wall, or excavation close to a neighbour’s foundations, can also need a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Frequently asked questions
How much will extension pulling away repairs cost in Wimborne Minster?
Guide prices for extension pulling away repairs in Wimborne Minster start from about £620 per junction, including VAT, on South West rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you cover Wimborne Minster?
Yes, Wimborne Minster is covered, along with postcode districts BH17, BH18, BH21. We also cover nearby Ferndown and Poole.
Is the ground in Dorset prone to subsidence?
Dorset mixes chalk downs, Oxford and Kimmeridge Clays in the vales, and the sands and gravels of the Poole basin. Clay vales can shrink and swell, and parts of the coast are known for landslip. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Why is my extension pulling away from my house?
Usually because the extension and the house sit on different foundations that react differently to the ground. Shallow extension footings, leaking drains under the extension, nearby roots and weak tie-ins between old and new walls are the common causes.
What is a movement joint?
A movement joint is a deliberate, flexible break in a wall that lets two parts of a building move slightly without cracking. It is filled with a compressible material and sealed. At an extension junction it can replace a rigid joint that keeps cracking.
Other structural repairs in Wimborne Minster
- Gable end wall repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Bay window subsidence repairs
- Concrete repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
Extension pulling away repairs near Wimborne Minster
Call about the cracked extension junction at your Wimborne Minster property; a free initial assessment first, then a fixed written price once the repair is specified.