Foundation Subsidence

Footings and foundations aren’t necessarily the first aspects of a house that you think will have issues. It’s usually, the more cosmetic areas that are obvious such as wear and tear inside the property.

But when it comes to potential problems with a house or other building, they don’t get much worse than sinking foundations, especially if not identified quickly or treated correctly.


There are many different reasons for weak ground, both natural and man-made. Loosely packed or sandy soils, or even human activities such as excavating and drilling, can cause ground subsidence issues.

Over the last decade, foundation subsidence has cost the UK economy billions of pounds, making it the most damaging geo-hazard in Britain today, and is expected to affect as many as one in five homes in England and Wales in the coming years.

To help you discover if the cracks in walls around you home could be due to subsidence, we’ve developed this handy tool. Visit our crack gauge page to download our FREE crack gauge and start measuring and monitoring the wall cracks around your home now!

Print-at-home crack gauge

What does foundation subsidence mean?

Subsidence, which is the gradual downward movement or sinking of an area of land results in your home moving, sinking in one area, or across the entire foundation footprint.

Sinking floors, cracks in walls, paths and driveways, and jammed or lose windows and doors can all be the first signs of foundation subsidence.

With Mainmark’s range of cost effective, non-invasive subsidence repair solutions, we can work with you to make the whole rectification process less stressful; assessing damage, fixing the ground, and allowing you to live happily in your home again.

What are the likely causes of ground subsidence?

Some homes are at a greater risk than others when it comes to the ground sinking or subsidence. There are also many geological, man-made and seasonal impacts that can make your home more likely to need foundation repair:

Clay soil can shrink, crack and shift during hot weather, and then expand during wetter weather

After a drought, sandy or fine gravel soil is much drier, and moves more easily which can impact building footings

Trees and shrub roots can also be a factor, particularly if they’re close to property foundations

Leaking drains and water mains can wash away or soften soil, causing it to compact under foundation weight

Flood water causes the ground to saturate, ground movement and in turn cause house foundations to sink or move

Vibrations caused by heavy road traffic, machinery or near-by excavation

Local mining activity can cause ground instability and voids

Liquid, gas or mineral resources being removed from the ground affecting stability, causing voids and sink holes

Other natural causes including erosion and earthquakes

Older properties may have shallower footings or foundations

How Mainmark can help fix the problem?

Mainmark’s ground improvement and concrete floor re-levelling methods for house subsidence are effective for fixing sinking foundations and floors in homes of any size.

The Mainmark team of experts will visit your home, assess the damage, and ascertain the cause. Our experienced engineers and technicians establish the underpinning approach needed, creating a plan specific to the needs of your home.

Our cutting-edge solutions are the modern answer to traditional concrete underpinning and are likened to keyhole surgery. Our non-invasive, clean and time-efficient solutions are not just for concrete slab floors; we can raise and re-level strip footings, and a range of slabs, plus we can re-level driveways too.

This house lifting, and re-levelling eliminates the need and the cost of ripping out and replacing the floor or demolishing and rebuilding brickwork walls, restoring value to the home. The work is carried out with the minimum of disruption to the occupant. In many cases the occupant can remain in the home and the process can be completed in as little as a few hours or a day (depending on the nature and extent of foundation ground damage).

As opposed to more traditional methods of underpinning buildings, our Teretek resin injection solution is quicker and, in most cases, done from the outside using 16mm diameter injection tubes and if interior injection is required only 6mm tubes are used. The size of the tubes means that there is minimal intrusion into the property.

Benefits of Mainmark’s methods

No mess – there is little if no dust, water, or anything else to clean up

There is minimal disruption to the home owner

We don’t cause further damage to the house or garden

With simple jobs, residents can stay in the home and may not even need to move furniture

Techniques are non-invasive: floors are not taken up or grounds excavated

Many simple, residential jobs are completed in just a day

The products and techniques we use have no negative impact on the environment