Recent insurance figures highlight the cost of ground movement and the importance of investigating changes to your property.

The average domestic subsidence insurance claim reached a record £20,000 between April and June 2026, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Insurers paid out £72 million during the quarter, with the average payout more than £2,000 higher than during the same period a year earlier.

The figures followed prolonged warm, dry conditions, which can increase the risk of ground movement. As moisture-sensitive soils such as clay dry out, they can shrink, affecting the support beneath a property’s foundations. Trees and large shrubs can contribute by drawing moisture from the ground.

For homeowners, changes worth investigating include new or widening diagonal cracks, cracking visible both inside and outside, and doors or windows that suddenly become difficult to open or close. These signs can indicate movement, although they do not establish its cause on their own. If subsidence is suspected, professional advice and early contact with your buildings insurer are important.

Understanding what your property is telling you

Discovering a crack can be worrying. An assessment can help put the visible damage into context, considering the property’s construction, the pattern of cracking and whether further investigation or monitoring is appropriate.

At Olivia Thomas Surveyors, our Property Defect Assessment service helps homeowners investigate visible concerns and understand the next steps. Where specialist input is needed, we can recommend further investigation.

If you have noticed cracking or other changes to your home, contact us to discuss your concerns.

Source: ABI Property Insurance Tracker, published 3 August 2026.

James Cullis brings his practical construction experience to a local school’s staff breakout area.

School life is busy, and a comfortable place to pause can make a welcome difference to the working day. James Cullis MCIOB has been fitting a kitchen in a local school’s teachers’ breakout area, helping create a useful space for the staff who support children every day.

The kitchen provides somewhere to make a cup of tea, prepare lunch and catch up with colleagues between the demands of lessons, planning and school activities. It is a practical addition to a space where staff can take a moment for themselves.

With a background in housebuilding and construction, James brings hands-on experience and an eye for detail to the work. This project puts those skills to use in a community setting, focusing on the everyday needs of the people using the kitchen.

At Olivia Thomas Surveyors, we’re pleased to share this part of James’s work within our local community. Schools bring together families, teachers and support staff, and it is rewarding to contribute to the spaces that help them function.

We hope the kitchen becomes a well-used and welcoming part of the school day, with plenty of opportunities for a well-earned cuppa.

Looking back at a distinctive Spitfire Homes project featured in the Daily Express.

A thatched roof gives a home an unmistakable character. For James Cullis MCIOB, one memorable project during his time at Spitfire Homes was a thatched property he managed, bringing together traditional architectural features and modern construction.

The property featured in the Daily Express article “New properties: Thatch’s way to do it”, published in November 2018. The feature explored Spitfire’s use of thatched homes as distinctive buildings within its developments, reflecting local architecture and helping new homes sit comfortably within their surroundings.

Much of their appeal lies in that combination of character and practicality. The article highlighted homes with traditional exteriors alongside contemporary layouts and modern insulation, showing how familiar building traditions can find a place in new developments.

For James, being involved in creating a home like this is part of the practical construction experience he now brings to Olivia Thomas Surveyors. Working on buildings as they take shape provides a valuable perspective on how materials, workmanship and individual details come together.

It is a project we’re pleased to look back on, celebrating both James’s housebuilding background and the craftsmanship involved in creating a distinctive home.

Read the original Daily Express article

Original article by Deborah Stone, published 16 November 2018.