Tell us what you have seen
Herne Bay, Kent
Find out what the cracks in your Herne Bay home mean
Homes near the Herne Bay cliffs sit on London clay and Thanet sand that shifts with the weather. Bungalows and chalets built on shallow footings move more easily than deeper foundations. Describe what you have noticed and a specialist covering the town will read it.
- No cost to describe the problem
- Specialists who know Kent ground
- No obligation to accept any quote
What movement looks like inside your home
Ground beneath a house rarely moves evenly. When one part settles faster than another, the structure above bends or separates. The signs start small and tend to follow the weakest points in the building fabric.
- 1
Diagonal cracks near windows
A crack running at an angle from a window corner often means the wall is being pulled apart by uneven settlement below.
- 2
Doors that stick or drag
Frames twist when walls shift. A door that catches on the carpet or refuses to latch may point to floor movement.
- 3
Sloping floors
A ball rolling across the room or furniture leaning to one side suggests the ground under the footings has dropped.
- 4
Gaps around skirting boards
Walls and floors moving at different rates leave visible gaps where they once met flush against each other.
Questions every homeowner asks at this stage
These are the ordinary things people think about when they first notice a crack or a slope. None of them are silly. They are how you work out whether something needs attention now or can wait.
-
Is my home safe to stay in right now?
Most cracks caused by slow ground movement do not make a house dangerous immediately, but a specialist should confirm that.
-
Will the cracks keep getting wider?
Movement driven by clay shrinkage or coastal erosion tends to continue until the cause is addressed.
-
Does living near the cliffs make this worse?
Coastal ground loses support over time, so homes closer to the edge face more risk than those further inland.
-
Are bungalows more likely to move?
Shallow footings on single-storey homes react faster to changes in soil moisture than deeper foundations.
-
How much will sorting this out cost?
The price depends entirely on the cause, which a site visit and investigation will establish before any work starts.
Ways specialists stabilise ground and foundations
Each method suits a different cause and soil type. The right one depends on what the investigation finds beneath your home.
Towns in Kent where specialists take enquiries
Enquiries come from across the county. Each page here describes the local ground conditions and links to the relevant help for that area, so you can read about the soil under your own street.
If your town is missing, use the contact page and mention where you live.
Describe what you have noticed at home
Sending details costs nothing and does not commit you to any work. You are asking someone who understands Kent geology to look at the symptoms and tell you what they might mean.
What happens next
- You write down what you have seen and where it is on the house
- A specialist covering Herne Bay reads the details you sent
- They suggest whether a site visit is needed or if the signs are minor