Gryphon Surveys - Chartered Surveyors

This is a powerful tool for the engineer or loss adjuster to determine the likely cause of building movement.

The three main elements are brick course level survey, verticality survey and floor level survey.

These should indicate the location and area of maximum building movement.

It will guide the investigation as to if and where trial pits are dug, and may prevent the need for expensive and unnecessary ground excavation.

A distortion survey is a record of the manner and extent to which a building is deformed. It comprises of up to four elements.

1. Brick course levels.

These will indicate the focus of a heave or subsidence problem and can identify the effects of a particular tree or row of trees.

2. Wall verticality survey.

These will readily indicate roof spread and distinguish between subsidence and heave. They are also helpful in detecting slope instability.

3. Floor levels.

Floor contours reveal internal heave problems and are useful confirmation of post construction movement as distinct from in-built variation, if they correlate with the brick course levels.

4. Lateral displacements (optional).

These will measure the curvature in plan of the perimeter walls of a building. They provide confirmatory evidence of heave and slope instability diagnosis