CLAY SOILS, SUBSIDENCE, HEAVE, TREES AND ROOTS – PART 3

Thursday, 9th February 2017
Building Defects | Common Property Defects | Surveying

In the first 2 parts of this post we looked at history of subsidence and the influence of trees; in this final part we’ll cover other contributory factors such as the presence of ground water and variations in climate.

Sloping Sites

The slope of the site may have a significant effect for a number of reasons.

If the site slopes steeply any buildings on the site will generally have foundations of varying depth.  We have all seen houses that are level with the footpath at the front, but have several steps down into the garden at the rear (or vice-versa).

In normal building practice the foundations won’t actually slope to follow the site, they will be constructed level.  This means that the foundations will be deeper on one side of the site than the other.  The shallower foundation will be more prone to seasonal movement than the deeper foundation and this could well lead to differential movement taking place.

Even if the foundation ‘steps’ down to follow the slope of the site there will be minor variations in depth which could result in differential movement.

Now let’s consider what effect a sloping site will have on how wet or dry the clay soil will be.  Time for another simple experiment!  Put a shallow tray out in your garden in heavy rain.  It soon fills up to brim with water.  Now put the same tray out in the rain propped up at an angle.  The water runs out before the tray can fill up.

Much the same thing happens on clay soil.  If the site is flat, rain will lie on the surface for a while and very gradually soak into the clay causing it to soften and swell.  If there is a significant slope on the site, water will run off before it has a chance to soak in and the clay will be much drier.  We can see from this that we can have two properties in the same area, with the same weather conditions and even the same degree of vegetation, however the flat site could be much wetter than the sloping site.

Ground Water

This leads us onto another condition that often occurs in clay soils; underground water.

Clay soils are quite notorious for the presence of naturally occurring underground springs and water courses.  Because of the way in which clay soil shrinks, swells and cracks, these water courses have a nasty habit of moving slightly from year to year.  It’s not unusual to find a soft boggy patch in a garden whilst inspecting a property that the house owner swears wasn’t there last year.

Again, this is a factor that makes it difficult to predict how wet or dry clay soils will be or whether a house is likely to be affected by subsidence or not.

The Consistency of the Subsoil

To put it simply, not all clays are the same and not all clay subsoils are composed of 100% clay.

What we describe as ‘clay’ soils can contain a proportion of other materials, such as sands, silts and organic matter.  The purer the clay the more likely it is to be affected by seasonal volume changes due to variations in moisture content.  Clay is a cohesive soil and the particles tend to stick together; they also have the ability to absorb moisture.  Materials such as sand are not cohesive and water tends to run through it rather than being absorbed.

It follows, therefore, that clay soils containing significant proportions of sand or silt will not behave in the same way as pure clay soils.  Different types of clay will have different shrink/swell characteristics.

It is rare that we find sites where the clay is completely consistent across the whole site at all depths.  Again, this is a factor that makes it difficult to predict when a building will move and when it won’t.

Variations in Climate

This is probably the most annoying variable that we have when considering movement in clay soils; our climate simply won’t play ball and behave consistently.  This makes it very difficult for us experts to predict foundation movement.

We can look at seasonal rainfall charts and say that it ought to be wet in the winter and relatively dry in the summer and then we have a year like the present one when we had a virtual drought in the Spring and rain all through August.

We would normally expect clay soils to be quite wet during the Winter months and then gradually dry out through the Summer before becoming wet again in the Autumn and following Winter.

If this happens we tend to get quite regular and gentle cyclical movements.  Buildings may move slightly, but usually not enough to cause any noticeable damage.

It’s when the seasons go out of kilter that problems usually occur.  For example, if we get several dry Winters followed by hot Summers (remember those) clay soils shrink, but they do not expand again in the Winter if there is not enough rain.  If the soil dries out even further the next Summer we might start to get noticeable movements and its usually after a period like this that we start to get a spate of subsidence claims.

However, these periods don’t last forever and as soon as we revert to a more ‘normal’ weather pattern the degree of movement reduces again.

It’s for this reason that it is wise to take a conservative approach to subsidence.  As I keep saying, the degree of damage is rarely very severe in structural terms and conditions will nearly always revert to equilibrium.  I think, as we have found in many circumstances, nature usually knows better than us and has a habit of sorting itself out if we leave it to get on with the job.

The point that I am really making here is that it is very difficult to carry what we like to think of as a highly detailed and scientific analysis of a problem when one of the variables is constantly changing and is totally outside of our control.  Although we can carry out detailed analysis of the subsoil and tree roots that we find and monitor very accurately the width of cracks we can’t make it rain or stop raining.  Without being able to control all aspects of an experiment the results will to some extent be unreliable.  Although we can say what could or might happen in certain circumstances we can’t guarantee it because we can’t control the weather.

Insurance companies will often monitor buildings over what they call a ‘full cycle of seasons’.  Effectively this means we will monitor for a year and see what happens.  (Usually what happens is that the house owner gets fed up waiting and wants the cracks repaired and the problem sorted.)

On a more serious note, the monitoring is often inconclusive and this is quite often because the weather hasn’t behaved as we would like it to.  In these cases the insurance company will sometimes want to go on monitoring for longer.  I have known cases that have been monitored for 3 or 4 years!  In one case the insurer concluded after 4 years that the property had stabilised and repaired the cracks.

It is often when monitoring is inconclusive that the insurer will decide to help things along by removing trees and other vegetation.  At this point it’s probably worth explaining that by inconclusive we generally mean that the building hasn’t totally stabilised, but that the movements are too small to warrant any major structural works like underpinning.  In these cases the insurer may be reluctant to pay for crack repairs at that stage in case the cracks open up again and they are called back to carry out another repair.

Insurers and their advisers will often suggest removing trees and other vegetation to see if this will stop relatively minor movements occurring and allow them to conclude the claim.  As I have mentioned, Insurers have the benefit that they can look at one problem in isolation.  They only have to consider how best to stop the house moving for long enough to repair it.  They don’t have to look at the ‘bigger picture’ or consider the ecological effects of removing vegetation.

Pervious and Impervious Materials

One factor which is often overlooked when carrying out site investigations is the nature of the finishes on the site and what effect this has on the clay subsoil.

In this respect I am talking about previous and impervious materials.  It has become common in recent years to pave our front gardens to a greater or lesser degree, partly to provide somewhere to park our cars and partly to reduce maintenance.  This does have an impact on the clay soil, however.

Where we have flowerbeds and lawns the clay is able to absorb moisture in the form of rainfall, but where we have paving very little of the rain that falls on the surface will find its way through to the clay subsoil; most of it will run off into the drainage system and the subsoil, protected by its impervious cover, will remain dry.

Clay soils take a long time to absorb moisture once they have dried out and it often takes several weeks, or months, of wet weather in the Autumn and Winter to make up the moisture deficit that has built up in the Summer.  Where the Autumn and Winter rains can’t get through paving to the subsoil underneath, it is likely that the clay will remain substantially drier than those areas that consist of lawn and flowerbeds.  In the long term this can lead to a moisture imbalance which could cause differential movement.

There are now a number of products on the market that can provide suitable surfaces for parking and that are relatively maintenance free, but will still allow moisture to permeate into the subsoil.

Summary

Subsidence in clay soils is a complicated issue with many variable factors and it is not a case of ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to finding the right solution for any particular case.

There are a number of key points that we have to consider, however.  Firstly, we have to bear in mind that any clay soil has the potential to shrink and swell and how much it will shrink and swell is dependent on a number of different factors, as I have discussed above.

Secondly, any property on clay soil has the potential to ‘move’ unless its foundations are so deep that they are in a layer of clay that is not susceptible to seasonal volume changes.  Many new houses are built on piled foundations and these will generally be stable.  The majority of our existing housing stock has relatively shallow foundations, however, and there will always be a risk that a house with shallow foundations on a shrinkable clay soil could be affected by subsidence.

Thirdly, it is likely that the majority of buildings with shallow foundations do actually move, but in most cases the movement is so slight that there is no visible damage.

Some buildings will exhibit cracking to a greater or lesser degree and it is these buildings that generally become the subject of subsidence claims.

As I have discussed in some detail, trees do extract moisture from the soil via their roots and in clay soils this can increase the effect of shrinkage in Summer months.  Removal of trees and other vegetation is often considered as one possible way of restoring stability to a property that has suffered subsidence damage.

In my view, whilst the removal of trees and vegetation may be appropriate in some cases, it is not a panacea for all ills and it is always a somewhat experimental process.  In some cases it does not work and the property continues to move; in cases where the property stabilises following vegetation control there is no way of knowing whether the property would have stabilised anyway, due to other variations beyond our control, such as the weather.

There will always be a significant risk of heave if mature trees are removed, particularly if they substantially pre-date the buildings.  In view the risk of damage from long term heave outweighs the risk of damage due to subsidence.  I would always prefer to retain mature trees even if this involves underpinning a property affected by subsidence rather than remove the trees run the risk of long term heave affecting potentially several adjoining properties.  In my experience it is easier and cheaper to repair a house affected by subsidence than one affected by heave.

As I have discussed previously, vegetation control is often favoured as a first recourse by insurance companies as it may have the desired effect and if it doesn’t work they haven’t really lost anything.

In my view, however, we must have some regard to the environment.  Apart from the obvious risk of heave we should really consider what effect tree removal has on the surrounding environment both in terms of visual amenity and the wildlife that is supported by mature trees.

Against this we have to consider the damage to buildings that can be caused by subsidence.  Generally, the damage to low rise domestic buildings caused by clay subsidence is relatively slight.  Whilst this is not much of a comfort to those whose houses are affected, it is nevertheless true that clay subsidence, rarely leads to serious structural damage, loss of structural integrity or loss of functionality.  In many cases the cracking is of an aesthetic nature.

Even in severe cases it is possible to repair or underpin domestic buildings affected by clay subsidence.  It is never possible to effectively replace mature trees that have been cut down.

Peter Barry Surveyors offer a full range of residential surveying services include RICS Homebuyer Reports, Building Surveys and Specific Defect Reports.  If you are buying a property or require advice on an issue affecting a property that you already own you are welcome to contact us by email or on 020 7183 2578

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Irkus Altuna
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Friendly and efficient service
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Henry Tran
it was a pleasure to work with James Merewether.He took time to answer all our questions.He is very generous with his time and offered to answer our neighbour's questions if needed.He is very customer oriented, practical and friendly.The process was smooth.Highly recommend James for his professionalism, promptness and expertise.I will definitely want to work with him in the future.
Henry Tran
Henry Tran
it was a pleasure to work with James Merewether.He took time to answer all our questions.He is very generous with his time and offered to answer our neighbour's questions if needed.He is very customer oriented, practical and friendly.The process was smooth.Highly recommend James for his professionalism, promptness and expertise.I will definitely want to work with him in the future.
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sara brouwer
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Emily “Viajadora Inglesa”
Emily “Viajadora Inglesa”
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isabelle c
isabelle c
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Nancy F
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Rhonda Cox
Rhonda Cox
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John Cryer
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Hannah Bennett
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C K Pensoy
C K Pensoy
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Maelle
Maelle
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Peter Fundela
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Andrei Skorobogatov
Andrei Skorobogatov
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Anne O
Anne O
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Mia Walls
Mia Walls
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George Clarke
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Geoff de Burca
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Cristina Santos
Cristina Santos
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Seb L
Seb L
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Richard Nguyen
Richard Nguyen
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Anthony Mazen
Anthony Mazen
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Cameron Weights
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Ian Press
Ian Press
Very helpful. Their comprehensive survey enabled us to make an informed decision about the purchase of a property we had been looking to buyEdit - I have now had a second survey done and am very happy with the service and the report received.*Edit - and now I have had a survey completed on a third property. Again, excellent service and advice from the surveyor.
Mark Hopkins
Mark Hopkins
Very quick, accurate and clear survey from this company. Helpful around the queries I had and even followed up a couple of weeks after the survey to see if I understood everything. Would definitely recommend.
William Ottway
William Ottway
An excellent, professional and prompt service. I've used Peter Barry Surveyors twice now in the past 18 months and can thoroughly recommend. They're responsive, friendly and most importantly deliver the required output without issue.
Helen Bull
Helen Bull
I would highly recommend Callum Escott who has provided a fantastic client service and completely turned around what had been a substandard service from the team that left him to pick my case up.
Mo Hoseini
Mo Hoseini
We had a great experience with the team at Peter Barry, from admin to surveyor. They are all super professional, and we will use their expertise and service again. Thanks to both Mattew and James.
Alexander Chapman
Alexander Chapman
We required a quick desktop Lease Valuation Report. After searching the interest for local quotes, not only their fees are very competitive, their service quality is also smooth and professional. Report was returned very quickly and liaising with team members Steve and Joanne, I felt that all my queries were dealt with smoothly.Recommend and Thank you!
Khetan Raghavani
Khetan Raghavani
Callum provided us services for party wall agreements, he was very helpful in explaining and managing the process for us and getting the agreements complete.
Joseph Antoniou
Joseph Antoniou
Excellent professional service. I used Peter Barry Surveyors for my lease extension. Their valuation report was prompt and clear. I signed up to their negotiation service and their strategy was tailored to my needs. Strongly recommended.
Ellen Bazley
Ellen Bazley
Excellent experience using Peter Barry Surveyors, Joanne always communicated with us promptly and the whole process of booking our survey was extremely easy and hassle free. Would highly recommend.
Katie Gillard
Katie Gillard
Callum was really supportive in getting our party wall agreement in place quickly so there was no delay to our project.
Amber Robinson
Amber Robinson
Great customer service, very helpful and quick to respond to queries.
Gabriele Lico
Gabriele Lico
We worked with Callum at Peter Barry for our complex extension project where he worked on the party wall awards. We could not have better things to say. Callum was always available and responsive, very knowledgeable and always ready to help. We drove us through the process always having the time to discuss when needed. Great experience, would recommend to anyone looking for someone reliable and efficient. Will definitely refer business over!
Dikla Cohen
Dikla Cohen
I've used the services of Peter Barry Surveyors (North London Office) multiple times now and they have consistently been trustworthy, professional, available for consultations and reasonable price wise. The reports provided were thorough and helpful. This has especially been valued after a terrible experience with a different surveyor I was tempted to use once due to slightly faster availability. I highly recommend using them and will not think twice if and when I need another survey done.
Laura Fenton
Laura Fenton
Very fast turnaround and great communication from Matthew Price and his team. They went above and beyond to ensure I had everything I needed from the get go.
Daniel Prinz
Daniel Prinz
Can absolutely recommend PCB. All valuation issues and negotiations regarding a lease extension very handled excellent and in time.
Stefan Georgiev
Stefan Georgiev
Peter Barry Surveyors came recommended by our architect, and we were very happy with their services. Callum Escott was very professional, kept us updated and got things sorted with our neighbor in no time. It was difficult to get hold of the owner at first as the property is rented out and the owner lives abroad. So they needed a little help from us chasing up the owner otherwise we would have missed the legal timeframe for getting a response. This is where we feel they could have been a bit more proactive... Overall great experience working with them and would highly recommend their services.
Pernia Price
Pernia Price
Peter Barry provide great customer service particularly timely communication. Thank you Joanne & Nick for being so helpful!
James Mackenzie
James Mackenzie
We recently had to get a party wall agreement arranged and completed at speed due to our building work commencement date being brought forward. The team at PBS was great. Efficient, professional, and helpful in getting everything sorted with the least amount of fuss and ensuring we could start the building work on time. Happy to recommend them.
Lou G
Lou G
I recently used the services of Peter Barry and was extremely satisfied with their work. My surveyor, Shaun, was knowledgeable, thorough and provided clear and concise reports detailing their findings and recommendations. I felt confident making informed decisions based on their expert advice. I would also like to acknowledge Joanne whose communication throughout the process was excellent, I would highly recommend their services.
Sam McNeil
Sam McNeil
I am an architect, I worked with Callum Escott on what we thought was to be a simple party wall notice. It became much more complicated but Callum helped me with patience and professionalism. Highly recommend.Sam McNeil
Alexandra Rybacki
Alexandra Rybacki
I was nervous about party wall agreements for our extension as we have 5 different neighbours. James and the team were fantastic: so responsive to questions, really knew their stuff and kept me updated every step of the way. We got a very positive outcome and the whole experience was entirely stress-free thanks to them. I’ll definitely use them when I need a surveyor in future.
Sarah Kerley-Burton
Sarah Kerley-Burton
We were represented by Callum Escott of Peter Barry for two Party Wall Agreements and he was lovely to work with both times.He was very patient when I was unclear about something, his communications were always very speedy and easy to understand, and the agreements were rapped up very promptly.It felt like having a real ally as we navigated this new territory.
Hervé Durán
Hervé Durán
Excellent experience with Peter Barry Surveyors. Very good service - would recommend!
Paul Morris
Paul Morris
I was really impressed with Peter Barry. I am a first time buyer so the whole process is a bit of a labyrinth and they were quick and efficient. I called with the surveyor (Shaun) the day after the survey and went through the survey in detail with him. He was articulate, generous and easy to chat with. I had particular anxieties about the roof and Shaun went up and took a look, something all the other surveyors I spoke with wouldnt do. Happy to recommend
Julien Le Doaré
Julien Le Doaré
Very friendly and easy to communicate with the team. The report was simple and precise.
Pete Gow
Pete Gow
Thorough, timely and wholly professional service by Callum Escott. Some months ago Callum was assigned to us as a Party Wall surveyor during a neighbours work, so when the time came to do our own renovations, we couldn't think of anyone else we would rather use.
Jamie Lowe
Jamie Lowe
Really positive experience. Would recommend this firm
A C M
A C M
I contracted Peter Barry to provide me with a valuation for a Property Lease Extension. Steve Hobbs at Peter Barry provided an efficient, professional and cost competitive service and a complete report to enter the Lease negotiations. Very satisfied.
Maureen Greensmith
Maureen Greensmith
We recently used the services of Peter Barry to survey and report on a property in South Woodford that we are looking to purchase.We found the them polite and efficient. The survey was carried out promptly and the report delivered to us without delay.We opted for the Home Buyers Report and the findings gave us the confidence to move forward but also highlighted areas that we need to ask our solicitors to look into.We would have no hesitation in using their services again and in recommending the firm to others looking to have properties surveyed.
David Lucas
David Lucas
I was very pleased with the communication and speed of service. Thank you.
James Beaumont
James Beaumont
Exceptional and speedy support from a very professional and personable firm. I had a Party Wall matter that needed turning round quickly and Matthew and Bawor managed to do so at every stage of the process. They responded quickly to my queries and all matters were dealt with whilst I also got a great education in Party Wall considerations! Superb advice and execution throughout - thanks!
Narendra Varsani
Narendra Varsani
We used Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to carry out the party wall agreement and Callum Escott was leading who was very professional and kept us updating regularly until the award was issued.I will recommend Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to others and thanks for the professional services given to us.
Hilma Pascal
Hilma Pascal
We needed to obtain a party wall agreement in place at short notice. We instructed Callum Escott from Peter Barry in South Woodford. Callum provided an efficient and prompt service from our initial instructions to completion of the party wall award and in time for the works to commence.
Heather Steed
Heather Steed
Callum Escott was immensely helpful and helped out in an immensely stressful situation at short notice. Thank you so much
Christine Kyriacou
Christine Kyriacou
We needed surveyors to act on our behalf for party wall agreement and we were recommended Peter Barry. They were very efficient in responding back to us and Callum was very professional and most happy to explain the process involved. Callum was also most approachable if we needed to ask any further questions, will be definitely recommending Peter Barry.
Ian Ross
Ian Ross
Callum Escott was assigned to our case for a party wall agreement. He was very professional and thorough. Peter Barry will be our first port-of-call for future work & I will be recommending to friends and family. Thanks!
Olivia Gordon
Olivia Gordon
Peter Barry have acted as Party Wall Surveyors on two recent residential projects I have worked on. Callum Escott was very helpful and efficient - great service.
Phil Watson
Phil Watson
The team were very professional in their handling of the survey
Essex Property Consultants Ltd
Essex Property Consultants Ltd
Having used Peter Barry surveyors for a party wall in connection with our neighbours loft 2 years ago we decided to instruct James on behalf of our mother in laws extension. The communication throughout was excellent and James and the team dealt with everything in a swift manner. I would have no hesitation in recommending.
Thinh Tran
Thinh Tran
Peter Barry provided an excellent service. I had a homebuyer survey carried out by them and found that it was simple to arrange and the turn around to be quick. Communication was good throughout the process. Would recommend.
Benjamin Gilpin
Benjamin Gilpin
I recently contacted Peter Barry Surveryors to carry out a desktop valuation, on short notice, for a residential property that they had previously performed a detailed valuation on, a few years prior. Steve Hobbs was highly responsive to my request and delivered the report very quickly. An efficient and thoroughly professional service.
Lewis Green
Lewis Green
Wanted to give a review of Peter Barry Surveyors and especially Callum as the service has been so professional. Callum is extremely efficient and knowledgeable and took the time to fully explain the process and guide me through each step carefully. He acted quickly at the outset allowing me to start work promptly which saved me money and time. I have no hesitation in recommending Callum and in fact will do my best to do so going forward. Thank you - A very happy customer !
Max Johnson
Max Johnson
Amazing, professional service, detailed report, and very good customer service. Matthew is knowledgeable and very helpful.I also worked with Shaun and he was brilliant as well - very detailed and produced an excellent report for me. Thank you
Meytal Mitchell Vainstub
Meytal Mitchell Vainstub
We found Peter Barry Surveyors online and decided to trust the praising reviews on their new home survey service.And we are more than pleased we have done so!Steve Hobbs carried our survey and the report was very thorough, detailed and well communicated.The report itself arrived promptly as agreed and answers to our constant questions during the process were all communicated swiftly and kindly to us.We are grateful and gladly recommend them.
George Brodie
George Brodie
Peter Barry were very responsive, quick and helpful. Shaun (our surveyor) did a fantastic job and was very responsive when we required him to be.
Jessica Park
Jessica Park
I contacted Peter Barry to discuss their defect survey service. I was helped by Shaun who gave me sound advice on when such surveys are useful, the type of access required for them to be effective, and, importantly, what they will not reveal. I really appreciated his helpfulness and honesty, which ultimately saved me money. This excellent customer service is what will bring me back to this business when future needs arise.
Penny Smith
Penny Smith
Excellent service from Peter Barry Surveyors. Excellent communication throughout the process and rapid response - survey and report completed within 10 days of booking. When my link person was on leave another colleague happily took over and ensured our report was sent quickly. Report was fantastically detailed with photo’s and specific recommendations. Report was also easily understood. Would highly recommend.
Monika Pirani
Monika Pirani
I am really grateful to James Merewhether and his team for a very professional and friendly service which helped to resolve a dispute that lead to a party wall agreement. I am particularly grateful to James for his immense patience and his detailed report.
Sophie Latham
Sophie Latham
Great professional and personable service. Fee's are very reasonable and the work detailed
damien wilson
damien wilson
Very happy with the work carry out by Callum Escott on my behalf.Both professional and prompted.Would definitely use Peter Barry again
Neelam Akhtar
Neelam Akhtar
I would highly recommend Peter Barry Surveyors. I was very impressed with the service I received and how quickly they were able to deal with the party wall agreement, the service was excellent, very professional and efficient. Our surveyor during this process was William Weaver and he was absolutely brilliant, he made the process easy and kept it stress free.
simone prandi
simone prandi
Been using Peter Barry Surveyors and the support given has been incredible as always contacted me to update on each step.I will definetly them and especially Callum who has been great on his side.
Max Johnson
Max Johnson
Great service! Excellent to work with and would highly recommend - thanks
Christopher L
Christopher L
Easy to use service, efficient and thorough survey in connection with a house purchase.
Alice Noctor
Alice Noctor
We used Peter Barry for the survey for our property purchase. Very impressed with the speed and efficiency of Joanne as well as the detailed report from the surveyor.
Francesca Morosini
Francesca Morosini
I have used the services of Peter Barry Surveyors to help me with a party wall matter, whereby my neighbour planning to do works to his property tried to bypass the correct and required procedure in these matters. I decided to use my own surveyor. I was allocated Mr William Weaver who was a very professional, pleasant and attentive surveyor; as was his very efficient and equally attentive and agreeable administrator Ishrat. This was my first time dealing with Peter Barry Surveyors and the experience has been very positive; I have no hesitation in recommending William Weaver and the team at Peter Barry Surveyors.
Ashwin Bhanderi
Ashwin Bhanderi
Callum Escott was very professional and well spoken during his visit and carried out his survey well thank you Callum
Andrew Baker
Andrew Baker
Had Peter Barry Surveyors come in to undertake structural survey on house when noticed cracks appearing over window following period of dry weather. Excellent service provided, very methodical and well presented report to give insurance company.
Charlotte Green
Charlotte Green
They completed the survey very promptly and thoroughly, and were happy to answer any questions I had.
Terence O'Sullivan
Terence O'Sullivan
Professional throughout on both the administration and surveying side. Many thanks to the excellent team.
Joanna Odoherty
Joanna Odoherty
I recently used Peter Barry Surveyors (Matthew Price) to assist me with the valuation of my property and the subsequent lease extension negotiations with my Landlord. Matthew prepared a desk top valuation report using floorplans I already had for my property, which was less expensive than but still very in-depth. Having never been through a lease extension process before he made it so much simpler for me. When I received the Landlord's counter offer which was initially quite high I was a little worried. Matthew was extremely professional and very efficient in keeping me updated. Matthew successfully negotiated with the landlords valuers on my behalf to reduce the lease premium down by over £2,000 on their initial offer. A very good outcome and I was extremely appreciative for all his efforts on my behalf.
Rebecca Daly
Rebecca Daly
Clear report and efficiently organised
ann maria gruszkos
ann maria gruszkos
The surveyors' support team are well informed and responsive.
Sal Singh
Sal Singh
Great service! Thank you for fantastic service Callum Escott and your new colleague that came with you! Highly recommend your company! Thank you for checking our loft and the third party wall works.
Suzanna den Dulk
Suzanna den Dulk
We commissioned a survey for a flat in Primrose Hill. We were very happy with the professional way the report was presented and the details provided. Would recommend.
Vince P
Vince P
The surveyor service is professional and efficient. Much satisfied and appreciated.
Steven Margolis
Steven Margolis
For the past approximately 6 months we have been represented by Callum Escott, surveyor at Peter Barry Surveyors, with regard to a Party Wall issue relating to our neighbours building works. I have found him to be helpful, reliable and efficient at all times in my dealings with him
Raj Sis
Raj Sis
We used Peter Barry for our Party Wall Agreement. Our Surveyor for the Award was Callum Escott. From start to finish he dealt with our case professionally. We would recommend him due to his knowledge and speediness in the process.
Evaldas Memkus
Evaldas Memkus
The efficient and professional work carried out by Callum Escott. Highly recommended. Thank you!
Mark Earles
Mark Earles
Matthew was excellent, the service was fast he explained everything would recommend this company to anyone
Kathryn Beamish
Kathryn Beamish
We have used Peter Barry Surveyors in Ipswich to carry out a survey for a property we are buying. They carried out the survey in a timely manner and we had the report within days. Very prompt and professional service. Would recommend.
Helene Theros
Helene Theros
Had a very smooth experience with the surveyors. Highly recommend.
Felix Frith
Felix Frith
Excellent service.
Lawrence Castle
Lawrence Castle
I used Peter Barry Surveyors in Ipswich to carry out a RICS 2 survey for a property I was buying. Ishrat and Justin were extremely helpful and replied to all of my questions quickly. They carried out the survey in a timely manner and I was very happy with their service.
Kai L
Kai L
Very quick "desktop" lease extension report done at about half the price of most other specialist valuers. If only dealing with lawyers and freehold owners could be this easy!
Shaun McConnell
Shaun McConnell
Very professional, very prompt, great advice, would recommend.
Maxi Hamilton
Maxi Hamilton
Prompt and efficient service for a leaseold valuation. Easy to deal with and would highly recommend.
Sarah Nasiry
Sarah Nasiry
The team at PBS are super efficient and great at communicating which I highly appreciated, especially as a nervous first-time buyer. Would 100% recommend!
Venkat Reddy
Venkat Reddy
I have worked with Katie from Hendon branch, she’s incredibly quick to complete the survey for my party wall and understands the customer need and expedite the things to get it done and communicate very well during the process, highly recommend 👍
Joseph Antoniou
Joseph Antoniou
Extremely professional, efficient and receptive to the needs of the client. Very much appreciated them providing a fast turnaround delivering me a valuation report when I requested it.
Nick Rajpal
Nick Rajpal
Fantastic experience dealing with Peter Barry Surveyors. Katie was incredibly helpful in organising both party wall notices and subsequently the party wall award. Really impressed by the swift turnaround and constant communication throughout. Will definitely use them again!
Balsam Al kubayassi
Balsam Al kubayassi
Excellent service
roberta sapsford
roberta sapsford
We used Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors (Steve Hobbs and Joanne Bartlett) to carry out our recent valuation report for our lease extension; we had already used them previously (Justin Burns) to draw up a party wall agreement. Both times they were truly excellent; they explained the end-to-end process to us, were efficient and responsive to our questions, pleasant to deal with, and the reports were delivered in super quick time. We have no hesitation at all in highly recommending their services (and have already done so) to others.
Joanne Brooks
Joanne Brooks
Excellent, prompt and professional service from beginning to end. Would highly recommend this company.
Alpesh Patel
Alpesh Patel
We used Peter Barry service for Party Wall agreement the service was excellent .Very quick to react and deal with our very difficult neighbour .Matthew Price was very helpful and professional .Highly recommended. Alpesh
Dovrat Keren
Dovrat Keren
We used Peter Barry service for home buyer survey - they managed to book a survey in a short notice, comunication was very good and the survey wasdetailed and afficient
Kevin De Souza
Kevin De Souza
Had a very good experience with Peter Barry from first phone call of enquiry through to receipt of survey. Recommended!
R L
R L
Good prompt service with clear and understandable report sent ahead of guided timelines. Linda and Siobhan were on hand to answer any questions- would definitely recommend.
Keziah Methuen-Jones
Keziah Methuen-Jones
Used for building survey report and found them to be very prompt with responses and kept me in the loop with what was going on.First time buyer but the report appears to be comprehensive and thorough.
Ben Hall
Ben Hall
Great, helpful staff, prompt and efficient service. Would definitely use again
Paul Mawdsley
Paul Mawdsley
We commissioned a lease extension valuation report from PBS. Matthew produced a very thorough and professional report promptly after visiting the property. Would recommend and use again.
Alex Kypreos
Alex Kypreos
Used Peter Barry Surveyors for a Home Buyers Report - they were responsive and had great communication throughout the process. They were even able to book my survey in at very short notice. Highly recommend!
Chris Hammond
Chris Hammond
We used Peter Barry for both a Homebuyer Report and a leasehold extension report. Both services were carried out efficiently, with any questions answered promptly. The reports were detailed and allowed me to progress our house move. Would use them again and have recommended to others.
Ruby Gregory
Ruby Gregory
I recently had a survey with Peter Barry and was impressed with the level of detail. I walked away without buying the property because of the report, it really highlighted issues I couldn't have seen without an experts knowledge. Thank you!
Mike Selby
Mike Selby
Peter Barry Surveyors carried out a full building survey for us in April 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown. Naturally things moved slightly slower than would otherwise have been the case, but the process went ahead in straightforward fashion and the report, once delivered, was professional and comprehensive. Quite satisfied.
Qian Lu
Qian Lu
I don't know much about surveys and have no point of comparison. But our purchase survey went well.I would have liked a bit more guidance from Peter Barry regarding the process. We were first time buyers and didn't really know when to make the payment or what are the next steps.
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