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Unfortunately for homeowners faced with the prospect, there is no such thing as a standard cost for underpinning a house because the works involved are unique to the property, the reasons for underpinning, and the underpinning process used. A structural surveyor will be able to give you an approximate idea of the cost. Of course, if the problem is covered by your home buildings insurance, the cost of underpinning a house shouldn’t be something you need to worry about.

The cost of underpinning a house varies considerably depending on the size of the property and the underpinning technique used. A suitably qualified structural engineer will be able to give you an indicative price for the cost of underpinning foundations.

Homeprotect will almost certainly be able to insure an underpinned house – but it’s worth getting a quote beforehand. Before contacting us to get a quote, make sure you know:

• Facts about the building’s history including the year that the building was underpinned.
• Details of all claims made, including any relating to subsidence events.
• What the cause of the subsidence was.
• If there has been any ground movement since the event.
• Whether there are any documents confirming that there have been no problems since the previous ground movement event.

Underpinning means a solid foundation is laid below ground level to support or strengthen a building. This may be necessary due to subsidence, for instance, when the ground under a property moves and impacts its foundations.  

The main reasons for underpinning are that the structure of a property has become unstable. In turn, this happens when the foundations can no longer adequately support the building because:

• Its usage has changed, for example, because an extension has added which puts extra strain on the foundations of the main building.
• The wrong type of foundation was chosen when the property was designed arising from mis-classification of the soil type.
• The structure of the soil in which the foundations sit has changed, usually because of too much or too little water in it, causing subsidence.

Underpinning is the strengthening and stabilising of the foundations of a house.

If you don’t disclose major building works that you know have been carried out to your property then you could be taken to court later for misrepresentation.

Quotes are referred to the underwriters if: your home is undergoing renovation, your property has prior subsidence, has been underpinned or if you have had a high-value claim or a large number of claims previously. Other situations requiring referral include: a very high value of contents or a very high rebuild cost for your building.

Contact your home buildings insurance provider who will guide you through the best course of action to take. Usually, a surveyor or engineer will be dispatched to make an assessment.

Often cases of subsidence can be handled quickly and effectively without requiring foundation repairs, but where foundation work does become necessary it can be costly and disruptive.

To give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding underpinning (or similar repairs) then it is in your interest to contact your insurer as soon as you notice a potential problem. Tree control measures might be taken, or leaky pipes surveyed and repaired, and in some cases little more will need to be done than some cosmetic repair/redecoration.