For a Birkenhead home with cracking or sticking doors, the first step is finding the cause, not booking underpinning. A chartered structural engineer inspects and, if needed, investigates below ground; most cases are resolved by dealing with drains or trees and then repairing the walls. When deeper foundations are justified, we carry out the engineer’s design with Wirral Council building control or a registered approver inspecting.
Large villas in Oxton and Claughton
The Victorian villas around Oxton and Claughton are substantial houses, often with bay windows, tall gables and big gardens. Bays are a common place for cracking because many period bays were built on shallower footings than the main walls. If only the bay is moving, the engineer may consider a partial scheme, though that can create a “hard spot” where the underpinned section meets the original foundation, which has to be designed for. Our page on bay window subsidence repair goes into the options.
Large gardens often mean large trees. Before anyone touches a tree, check with Wirral Council whether a Tree Preservation Order applies or whether the house is in a conservation area, where six weeks’ notice is normally needed for most tree work.
Terraced streets closer to the town
Nearer the centre and the docks, Victorian terraces are packed close together. Shared walls mean shared problems, and any excavation beside a neighbour usually requires the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 to be considered. Not every crack on a terrace is a foundation issue, either. Where a house has cavity walls, corroded mild steel wall ties can cause horizontal cracking along the bed joints roughly every six courses. That is a separate fault from subsidence, covered on our wall tie replacement page.
Cellars and basements
Some larger Birkenhead houses have cellars. Cracking in a cellar wall, or a cellar that is to be lowered or converted, raises its own structural questions because the walls are retaining ground as well as carrying the house. Any work below the existing footings is underpinning in its own right and needs an engineer’s design and Building Regulations approval. See cellar and basement underpinning for more.
Post-war homes
Birkenhead also has plenty of post-war housing. Here the concerns are usually extensions, porches and garages built on different foundations from the house, and older drainage. A leaking drain can soften clay or wash fine soil out from beneath a footing. A CCTV drain survey is the usual way to check, and the drains within your own boundary serving only your property remain your responsibility.
From first call to sign-off
- Call back. We ask about the cracks, the house, trees, drains and whether an insurer or buyer is involved.
- Visit. We look at the property and the pattern of damage.
- Engineer and investigation. Where the cause is unclear, an engineer’s inspection and possibly trial pits, soil tests or monitoring.
- Design and quote. A written quote for the engineer-designed scheme, explained in plain English.
- Notices. Building Control notices and, where needed, party wall surveyors.
- Staged work and sign-off. The engineer and Building Control inspect and sign off as applicable.
If there is a live or likely subsidence claim, contact your buildings insurer first. The insurer decides on investigation and repair, including whether underpinning is needed.
More on the methods we use is on our page about underpinning in Liverpool and across the Wirral. We also cover Wallasey to the north and Heswall further down the peninsula.
Worried about movement in a Birkenhead property?
Phone 07777 659786 and tell us what you have spotted. We will explain what usually happens next and whether a visit is the right first step. Background reading is on our Merseyside underpinning contractor homepage.
Frequently asked questions
Why do bay windows on Birkenhead villas crack more than the rest of the house?
Many Victorian and Edwardian bays were built on shallower footings than the main walls, so they are more sensitive to drying clay, leaking drains or tree roots. Cracking often appears where the bay joins the front wall. An engineer decides whether the bay needs underpinning or a smaller repair.
Can a cellar be underpinned?
Yes, cellar walls can be underpinned to deepen or strengthen them, either to deal with movement or to allow a lower floor. It is specialist work that needs a structural engineer’s design, Building Regulations approval and often party wall procedures, because cellar walls retain ground and support the house above.
How do I know if my Birkenhead house is in a conservation area?
Some parts of Wirral have conservation area status and boundaries vary, so check with Wirral Council for your exact address. In a conservation area you normally need to give six weeks’ notice before most tree work, and other rules may affect external repairs.
Who is responsible if a shared drain under my terrace is leaking?
Since October 2011, shared private sewers and lateral drains outside a property boundary in England transferred to the water companies, which for Merseyside is United Utilities. Drains within your own boundary that serve only your property remain your responsibility. A CCTV survey shows where the fault is.
Do I need to move out during underpinning?
Often not, as many schemes are done from outside or in one part of the house at a time. It depends on the method and the rooms affected. If an insured home becomes uninhabitable during repairs, buildings insurance usually covers alternative accommodation.