Homes we inspect in Finchley
Church End, East Finchley and North Finchley have Victorian and Edwardian terraces and semis, with large areas of interwar detached and semi-detached houses. Finchley Garden Village, built just before the First World War, is a conservation area. There are also purpose-built flats and newer developments along the main roads.
Extensions and hip-to-gable loft conversions are common on interwar houses here, and we are often asked why an extension has started to crack away from the house.
Common structural issues in Finchley
- Seasonal movement on clay near large trees.
- Cracking at bay windows in interwar houses.
- Junctions between extensions and the original house.
- Hip-to-gable loft conversions altering the roof structure.
- Older movement that needs checking to see whether it has stopped.
Ground conditions
Finchley stands on a plateau of glacial till, sometimes called boulder clay, left by an ice sheet that reached this part of London around 450,000 years ago, over London Clay. Both can shrink and swell with the seasons, and the Dollis Brook and Mutton Brook valleys cut through them.
We check the British Geological Survey records for every address we inspect, because ground conditions can change from one street to the next.
Services in Finchley
- Structural inspections: Specific (SSI) from £420*, General (GSI) from £540* and Comprehensive (CGSI) from £880*.
- Mortgage structural reports when your lender's valuer asks for an engineer.
- Insurance structural reports and subsidence investigations.
- Wall and chimney breast removal calculations for Building Control.
- Extension and loft conversion design.
- Freeholder consent reports for leasehold flats.
* Prices are a guide only and VAT may be added. Contact us for an accurate price.
Arranging an inspection in Finchley
Send us the postcode, whether it is a house or a flat, how many bedrooms it has and a few photos of what you have noticed, or your valuer's letter. We will recommend the right service and give you a price in writing before you book. Our engineers travel to Finchley from our office on Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick, with weekday and weekend visits available. See our prices or request a quote.
Local guides
Nearby areas we cover
See all areas we cover across London.
Common questions
Do you have an office in Finchley?
No. Our office is at Gable House, 18–24 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, W4 1QP, and our engineers travel to Finchley for inspections and site visits.
Our extension is cracking away from the house. Why?
Extensions are often built on different foundations from the original house, and the two can move differently, especially on clay near trees. An inspection looks at both foundations, the drainage and nearby trees to find the cause and advise on repair.
