Help... conservatory coming away from exterior wall!!

[Moleymoleymoley]

Hi,

I'm in a bit of a pickle... we had our wooden conservatory replaced when we bought our house 5 years ago. It was built on top of a foundation wall which is built against the exterior wall of the house.
The wooden frame was replaced with a plastic/PVC one, and we had a self cleaning glass roof on top.
We've had no issues until this morning I noticed that it felt colder than usual in there and on inspecting the frame, I can see it is coming away from the exterior wall!! It is clearly noticeable as the silicone is still attached to the wall whereas the frame itself has come away by a few centimetres the one side, and maybe one centimetre the other.
Please see pictures attached.
I am very very concerned, since we were looking to move house in the new year (two very young children), and cannot get in touch with the guy who built it as he passed away last year.

Can anyone offer any advice please

?

 

[Notch7]

is the conservatory sitting on a dwarf wall?

if it is could you post a picture from the outside of the sides of the conservatory, from further back so showing the whole conservatory.

 

[^woody^]

Take that cover strip off, then stick it back on nearer the wall to close the gap. Likewise on the outside, or re-mastic it.

Put it on the market. No need to mention anything.

 

[Moleymoleymoley]

is the conservatory sitting on a dwarf wall?

if it is could you post a picture from the outside of the sides of the conservatory, from further back so showing the whole conservatory.

It is on a dwarf wall yes.... please see pictures attached - let me know if you want to see more.
From the outside I cannot see the same problem - i.e. the frame is flush with the wall from what I can see.

 

[Moleymoleymoley]

Take that cover strip off, then stick it back on nearer the wall to close the gap. Likewise on the outside, or re-mastic it.

Put it on the market. No need to mention anything.

In normal circumstances I'd have been tempted, but I've too much of a conscious to do this purely because of the sh** we were left with when we moved in, that was clearly covered up purposely to mislead us on the condition of the house.

 

[johnny2007]

It's sinking.
Most likely they didn't put down any decent footings.
When we moved in our house the porch was moving away from the house.
Once dismantled i found that the "bricklayer" had used the grass as base.
I'm not joking.

 

[^woody^]

In normal circumstances I'd have been tempted, but I've too much of a conscious to do this purely because of the sh** we were left with when we moved in, that was clearly covered up purposely to mislead us on the condition of the house.

Well what are you to do then?

You don't know and won't know unless you do a year of monitoring, whether the movement is in the frame, the wall or the foundations - and whether any movement it's ongoing or a once only event. And as what you see is just the result, then after that you need to determine the actual cause - the construction, the ground or some other event.

Worry about covering it up and you either won't be moving anytime soon, or you will be knocking several thousand off the sale price - if anyone is interested in taking it on in the first place.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

What part of the country are you in? If on clay soil then some slight movement is probably inevitable given the recent (and forecast rainfall), which would account for your issues. I wouldn't have thought there was enough weight there for a massive amount of subsidence, unless the footings were only a couple of inches thick.

Your best option is to monitor things for now, obviously if it keeps moving and the gap gets wider then it's time to really panic, but unless the main structure of the house is affected or starts going the same way, there's not a vast amount that can be done without spending money getting the foundations strengthened. Worst case scenario for now, is dont use it if in doubt.

 

[Notch7]

It is on a dwarf wall yes.... please see pictures attached - let me know if you want to see more.
From the outside I cannot see the same problem - i.e. the frame is flush with the wall from what I can see

Many thanks for posting the images.

There is nothing obvious in the base to indicate movement from the images, the brickwork seems pretty good.

Its possible the conservatory and house have different foundations, so maybe one has moved differently to the other.....its not uncommon, but its no big deal

In my opinion its just the frame and or roof thats moved a bit.
The upvc is rosewood foil on white - the outside will get really hot in sunlight, it wouldnt surprise me if expansion and contraction has caused the conservatory to pull on the frame fixings allowing it to shift over time.

Follow woodys advice - stick trims on and re silicone, the conservatory and base are fine, so you have no reason to feel guilty of being dishonest.

 

[noseall]

had used the grass as base.
I'm not joking.

Prior to digging these deep extension foundations...

Deeptrench2

• noseall
• 11 Sep 2016

Deeptrench1

• noseall
• 11 Sep 2016

...we removed a conservatory that developed a lean because it was built upon made up ground. In the image below you can see where the wall has leaned that much that the built-in joist hangers are no longer attached and the floor sunk...

Connie

• noseall
• 23 Nov 2019

Connie = crap.

 

[Moleymoleymoley]

Many thanks for posting the images.

There is nothing obvious in the base to indicate movement from the images, the brickwork seems pretty good.

Its possible the conservatory and house have different foundations, so maybe one has moved differently to the other.....its not uncommon, but its no big deal

In my opinion its just the frame and or roof thats moved a bit.
The upvc is rosewood foil on white - the outside will get really hot in sunlight, it wouldnt surprise me if expansion and contraction has caused the conservatory to pull on the frame fixings allowing it to shift over time.

Follow woodys advice - stick trims on and re silicone, the conservatory and base are fine, so you have no reason to feel guilty of being dishonest.

Thanks for the reply again.

The concern for me is making it watertight ready for whatever weather we get over the next few months.
I'm not clued up when it comes to DIY if I'm completely honest, but i'll have a go at moving the cover strip. Will that be enough to prevent rain coming in though?

 

[Moleymoleymoley]

Well what are you to do then?

You don't know and won't know unless you do a year of monitoring, whether the movement is in the frame, the wall or the foundations - and whether any movement it's ongoing or a once only event. And as what you see is just the result, then after that you need to determine the actual cause - the construction, the ground or some other event.

Worry about covering it up and you either won't be moving anytime soon, or you will be knocking several thousand off the sale price - if anyone is interested in taking it on in the first place.

Fair points. I'll look at moving the cover as you suggest, cheers for the advice.

 

[^woody^]

Connie

• noseall
• 23 Nov 2019

Connie = crap.

Why have you plastered before putting the roof on?

 

[catlad]

Seen as its coming away from the wall so much you can slide something slim down the gap to see if there are any fixing in to the wall, which maybe missing! or being pulled out.
You would be better posting in windows and doors for a better advice.

 

[^woody^]

Fair points. I'll look at moving the cover as you suggest, cheers for the advice.

Yes that's what you should do. All it is from your perspective is routine maintenance. Just make it a neat job that does not stand out. Seal any visible gap, then clean the adjacent frame so that the new mastic does not stand out either.

Don't worry about the buyer, you are not misleading them. It's the buyers responsibility to carry out sufficient checks, and you can answer all the standard conveyance questions honestly too.