How much does underpinning cost? A quantity surveyor explains

Builders underpinning a house
Underpinning can be a serious undertaking so it's important to budget well in advance (Image credit: Getty Images)

Underpinning costs are often assumed to be vast, with the task of underpinning your home requiring reinforcing or strengthening its foundation.

This is typically due to the property shifting or settling over a period of time, causing structural problems such as subsidence, cracked walls or uneven floors. Older homes are more likely to have these issues, especially in the UK where a large number of buildings were constructed without contemporary foundations that can account for shifting soil conditions or ground movement. Other causes of a building's original foundation no longer being stable include deteriorating soil conditions, excavation activity nearby, or general wear and tear.

Tim Phillips is an experienced senior quantity surveyor and estimator and has worked in the construction industry for over 35 years. He has worked on many varied projects in this time, for corporates, public bodies and private residential clients, managing multi-million budgets.

For the past 13 years, Tim has worked on a freelance basis, whilst managing his rental property portfolio. He has extensive experience of undertaking his own full-scale house renovations. He is also a speaker and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows.

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