Andover, Hampshire
Subsidence in Andover
Chalk subsidence in Andover raises questions that clay-focused advice never answers. If you have spotted a crack or a dip near your home, find out what it means and what a specialist recommends next.
- Ground conditions assessed properly
- Repairs suited to chalk bedrock
- Clear steps from first enquiry
Describe what you have noticed
Foundation repair and investigation options
Seething chalk bedrock beneath the town is susceptible to dissolution features and swallow holes that occasionally compromise structural foundations. Each method below addresses a specific problem found on this type of ground.
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Subsidence survey
A specialist inspects the home, maps every crack and determines whether the seething chalk bedrock beneath the foundations has shifted or dissolved over time.
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Underpinning
The contractor excavates beneath the affected wall and pours new concrete footings to reach stable chalk below any voids or soft spots.
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Resin injection
A technician pumps expanding resin into the ground beneath the slab, filling small cavities left by chalk dissolution without heavy excavation work.
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Concrete cracking
The specialist lifts or re-levels cracked slabs, drives and patios where the chalk subgrade has washed away or settled unevenly.
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Screw piling
An installer drives steel piles through unstable fill or soft chalk down to competent bedrock, giving the foundation solid bearing again.
Chalk geology
Why chalk behaves differently
Living on seething chalk means the ground can dissolve slowly, leaving hidden voids that clay soil never produces.
- Dissolution features Water dissolves chalk underground, leaving voids that cause the surface to drop.
- Swallow holes Sudden collapses happen where rainwater has carved a large cavity in the bedrock.
- Old chalk pits Historic quarrying left backfilled pits under parts of the town that settle later.
- Soft spots in gardens A dip or spongy patch often marks shallow chalk loss beneath turf.
- Cracks in flint walls Flint and lime mortar cottages crack when their shallow footings lose support below.
Subsidence repair services available in Andover
Homes here sit on seething chalk bedrock prone to dissolution features. Standard clay-shrinkage methods rarely apply, so the approach must suit the actual ground beneath each house.
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Subsidence help in Andover
A specialist visits the home to record cracks, measure door drops and map the surrounding ground. Because an Andover house cracks survey must account for chalk dissolution rather than seasonal clay shrinkage, the inspector looks specifically for signs of voids or old pits nearby before recommending any repair method.
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Underpinning in Andover
Underpinning in Andover requires the contractor to dig past any loose fill or dissolved chalk until reaching solid bedrock. The specialist designs the depth based on trial holes, ensuring the new concrete base sits below the zone where swallow holes or dene holes might form in future.
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Resin injection in Andover
Resin injection in chalk ground works where voids remain small enough to fill safely. A technician drills through the floor slab and pumps structural resin into the gaps left by dissolved chalk. This avoids major excavation, though the specialist first confirms the cavity is not too large for resin alone.
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Concrete cracking in Andover
Where a drive or patio has dropped because the chalk underneath washed away, a specialist lifts the sunken concrete or replaces it entirely. They compact the sub-base with fresh material so the repaired slab does not sink again when rainwater reaches the underlying bedrock.
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Screw piling in Andover
Screw piles in chalk downland bypass soft infill entirely. An installer drives helical steel shafts through the unstable upper layers until they bite into sound rock. This suits extensions or conservatories built over suspected old chalk pits, giving them independent support without relying on the weak ground above.
Towns covered across Hampshire
Specialist firms operate throughout the county. Whether a home stands on coastal gravel, valley peat or chalk downland, the right contractor travels to the site and applies the method that suits the local geology.
If your town is missing from this list, send an enquiry anyway. Coverage extends across all of Hampshire.
Tell us what you have noticed at your home
Describe the crack, dip or sticking door. There is no charge for the initial enquiry, and the response explains whether the signs point to chalk movement or something else entirely.