Chorley · Lancashire
Extension pulling away repairs in Chorley
An extension pulling away from a Chorley house is often a drain problem, a shallow footing or a missing tie-in, rather than a failing building. Finding out which applies decides whether the fix is a junction repair or new foundations.
Guide price from£575per junction inc VAT
- Postcodes
- PR6, PR7
- Population
- about 34,000
- Area
- Lancashire
- Pricing region
- North West
Is Lancashire prone to ground movement?
Chorley is in Lancashire and takes in postcode districts PR6, PR7. About 34,000 people live there. Neighbouring towns we cover: Horwich (4 miles), Leyland (4 miles) and Darwen (7 miles).
Lancashire has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Lancashire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Housing stock in Lancashire: Stone and brick mill terraces, seaside villas in Blackpool and Lytham, and inter-war and post-war semis.
Symptoms that point to extension pulling away repairs
- A vertical crack or gap where the extension meets the house
- Daylight or draughts showing through the internal corner joint
- Floor level dropping where the extension and house floors meet
Guide prices for extension pulling away repairs in Chorley
Guide prices below are for homes in Chorley, on North West rates and including VAT. A survey or good photos let us turn them into a fixed written price.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Junction crack repair with stainless tiesest. | £575 – £1,900 | per junction |
| Movement joint and making goodest. | £385 – £1,150 | per junction |
| Underpinning the extension where needed | £960 – £2,400 | per metre of wall |
Methods for extension pulling away repairs
Junction crack repair with stainless ties
The open joint is cut out, stainless ties or helical bars are fixed across it into both the old and new masonry, and the joint is repointed or rendered to match. Inside, the corner is replastered. This suits extensions that moved once and have since stopped.
Best for: Settled extensions with a stable gap at the junction
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
Show us the junction
Send photos of the crack outside, the internal corner and any flashing above, with a measure for scale. We give a free initial assessment and an initial view on whether the gap is likely old or still opening.
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.
Repair the junction
Drains are repaired first if they are leaking. The joint is then tied, formed as a movement joint or rebuilt after underpinning, with roof flashings reset so the junction stays watertight. Building control is handled where needed.
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
What is the price of extension pulling away repairs in Chorley?
Guide prices for extension pulling away repairs in Chorley start from about £575 per junction, including VAT, on North West rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you carry out extension pulling away repairs in Chorley?
Yes, Chorley is covered, along with postcode districts PR6, PR7. We also cover nearby Horwich and Leyland.
Does the ground around Chorley cause cracking?
Lancashire is mostly glacial till over sandstone and mudstone, with the Burnley and Accrington coalfield in the east and soft coastal and estuarine ground on the Fylde. Old mill and mine sites leave made ground in many towns. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Is it normal for an extension to crack at the join?
A fine crack at the junction is fairly common, especially in the first few years as a new extension settles. It becomes a concern when the gap is widening, tapering, letting in water or matched by sticking doors and sloping floors. Those signs point to continuing movement.
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.
More repairs we carry out in Chorley
- Retaining wall repairs
- Bay window subsidence repairs
- Subsidence repairs
- Floor joist repairs
- Concrete repairs
Extension pulling away repairs near Chorley
Call about the cracked extension junction at your Chorley property; a free initial assessment first, then a fixed written price once the repair is specified.