Structural inspection and drain investigation

The project

This Richmond project combines a general structural inspection with a CCTV drainage survey, to find out whether failed drains are behind the defects in the building. The brief is diagnostic: the owner needs to know what is causing the problems before deciding what to repair. Follow-up visits by a structural engineer are part of the appointment, so the investigation can respond as information comes in.

The inspection recorded an open vertical crack in plaster below a worktop, a distorted door frame with a gap opening between the architrave and the wall, and a crack along the junction of wall and ceiling beside a window reveal. Defects like these can have several causes, from foundation movement to timber shrinkage, and leaking drains are one of the possibilities worth ruling in or out early.

Investigating whether drains are behind the defects

We carry out a general structural inspection, recording the defects and considering their likely causes. A CCTV drainage survey then examines the condition of the drains, with a findings report. Leaking drains can soften or wash out the ground beneath foundations, so they are an important line of enquiry wherever movement is suspected and drains run close to the walls.

Follow-up site visits let us return to the building and review the situation as the investigation develops, rather than drawing conclusions from a single snapshot. That matters because the cause of a defect is not always clear on the first visit, and it decides whether repairs to the drains, the structure or both are the right answer. Our structural engineering in Richmond upon Thames covers many period homes where these questions come up.

Planning something similar?

When defects appear, checking the drains alongside the structure helps identify the cause before money is spent on repairs. Our guide to subsidence signs and what to do explains what to look for and when it is time to call an engineer.