Basement extension house collapses - oops!
Discussion
Builder claims 'it's nothing to do with the works, it's just an old house'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3335283/Si...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3335283/Si...
There was one in South London on a normal terrace and the owners wanted a useable cellar (room, bathroom, etc) and the developer fked up... the developer turns out he didn't have insurance and said sorry nothing he can do..
Couple are pissed off with him for not having insurance...
I would be knocking heads if I owned the top flat... the crack goes all the way through the building and because downstairs went with cheapest quote, builder doesnt have insurance and they said to top floor flat, sorry you need to take it up with them.
Couple are pissed off with him for not having insurance...
I would be knocking heads if I owned the top flat... the crack goes all the way through the building and because downstairs went with cheapest quote, builder doesnt have insurance and they said to top floor flat, sorry you need to take it up with them.
Zod said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
English Heritage should prosecute him, the architect and the builder.Feel sorry for the family in the lovely adjoining house next door who only moved in a couple of months ago, after a massive year long refurb on their place as well. There is some talk that their house may be fatally weakened and have to come down as well, we will see.
I would expect that the nature of the location and the age of the house will mean that it will have to be rebuilt to look exactly as it did before the collapse.
Has caused traffic gridlock all day
Likely no architect involved (not that they would be directly liable, actually, if the design & construction management plan was basically competent).
The point is, there have been no shortage of such 'basement extensions' collapsing in London in the last 5yrs or so it has become popular - because they /are/ being executed by utter idiots trading as 'basement extension specialists' to seve a greedy, narcissistic market. It is a technically-difficult thing to do safely, let alone well: but most will engage a contractor on cost alone. Guess what happens. It often leaves the owners with real difficulties becasue it'll turn out the bloke doing the digging with a couple of 2x4s has no clue as to appropriate techniques, let alone insurance... and if it falls down, you fold the company vehicle for this job, carry on with the one up the road anyway. Owner left chasing losses against a few sheets of letterhead.
So, yes, HSE is /very/ interested in the whole market, for obvious reasons. Just rmemeber the HSE couldnt care less about financial losses arising of course, and neither does anyone else. Except the mortgagee - caveat emptor.
The point is, there have been no shortage of such 'basement extensions' collapsing in London in the last 5yrs or so it has become popular - because they /are/ being executed by utter idiots trading as 'basement extension specialists' to seve a greedy, narcissistic market. It is a technically-difficult thing to do safely, let alone well: but most will engage a contractor on cost alone. Guess what happens. It often leaves the owners with real difficulties becasue it'll turn out the bloke doing the digging with a couple of 2x4s has no clue as to appropriate techniques, let alone insurance... and if it falls down, you fold the company vehicle for this job, carry on with the one up the road anyway. Owner left chasing losses against a few sheets of letterhead.
So, yes, HSE is /very/ interested in the whole market, for obvious reasons. Just rmemeber the HSE couldnt care less about financial losses arising of course, and neither does anyone else. Except the mortgagee - caveat emptor.
Edited by Huff on Friday 27th November 00:40
Huff said:
It is a technically-difficult thing to do safely, let alone well...
My ex-neighbour decided his lower ground floor flat wasn't big enough so one day just made a hole in his kitchen floorboards and started digging. Spent over two years on it pissing everyone off but always made me wonder if it was an appropriate DIY project.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff