Portsmouth House Collapse

[Saleen836]

Thankfully no one seriously injured or killed....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-63...

Going to guess someone has been doing dodgy internal alterations for something like this to happen

[GliderRider]

The cracks started when the rest of the house was repulsed by the wallpaper upstairs.

[The Don of Croy]

More worryingly why has the car outside got a sunshade fitted, in December?

[ScotHill]

The Don of Croy said:

More worryingly why has the car outside got a sunshade fitted, in December?

You charge it up in the summer, and in the winter it releases the sun back out to prevent the windscreen from frosting up.

[Mercury00]

Can anyone speculate as to what could've caused it? I find things like this really interesting

[elanfan]

Removal of structural walls joists, chimney breast etc

Edited by elanfan on Friday 9th December 23:58

[Diderot]

Saleen836 said:

Thankfully no one seriously injured or killed....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-63...

Going to guess someone has been doing dodgy internal alterations for something like this to happen

Looks like it’s taken half the next door house with it. Let’s hope they have insurance.

[Saleen836]

A 'Go Fund Me' page has been set up now....
https://www.gofundme.com/f/her-and-her-family?qid=...

From reading it looks like a mother and daughter were living in the house, investigations are still on going for the cause of the collapse

[normalbloke]

5 other properties in the street have been declared as structurally unsafe.

[OzzyR1]

normalbloke said:

5 other properties in the street have been declared as structurally unsafe.

Probably those either side of it.

Don't think it's down to internal alterations (removing structural walls etc), more likely a gas leak that ignited "early" rather than blowing the whole place to bits as is the case when a gas leak has been ongoing for some time.

[normalbloke]

OzzyR1 said:

normalbloke said:

5 other properties in the street have been declared as structurally unsafe.

Probably those either side of it.

Don't think it's down to internal alterations (removing structural walls etc), more likely a gas leak that ignited "early" rather than blowing the whole place to bits as is the case when a gas leak has been ongoing for some time.

They probably are either side , as opposed to some DIY open plan conversions up and down the street. However, this one doesn’t look like an explosion at all. Neighbours also reported loud cracking noises and plaster falling off walls immediately prior to the collapse.

[230TE]

Those houses look to be an unusual design with the chimney going straight up the middle of the house rather than up the end wall. I wonder if some fool of a builder has taken out the chimney stack to create the open plan living space that everyone wants now. It looks as though the upper partition wall has come down between that house and the one nearer the camera. Food for thought for those of us who live in older terraced houses and makes me even more wary of taking out internal walls - "nah mate, that's not structural innit".

[fridaypassion]

My parents bought a house years ago where a "builder" took a supporting wall out to open up downstairs. The bedroom floor was bouncy! There had not installed an RSJ!

[nikaiyo2]

Apparently the internal wall separating the front from back room was removed. Pretty sure on google maps this house does not have a chimney.

Had a drink with a mate last night who has a mate who quoted to do the work, but someone did it for peanuts.

[RichB]

230TE said:

Those houses look to be an unusual design with the chimney going straight up the middle of the house rather than up the end wall.

Indeed, you can see from the other houses in the terrace that the chimney stacks are central to each house and not constructed as part of the dividing walls (that have the have a capping on them).

[Teddy Lop]

nikaiyo2 said:

Apparently the internal wall separating the front from back room was removed. Pretty sure on google maps this house does not have a chimney.

Had a drink with a mate last night who has a mate who quoted to do the work, but someone did it for peanuts.

You see some terrible things in the game.

If true I really feel for the poor neighbours who's christmas will have been ruined by fckwits.

[ecsrobin]

nikaiyo2 said:

Apparently the internal wall separating the front from back room was removed. Pretty sure on google maps this house does not have a chimney.

Had a drink with a mate last night who has a mate who quoted to do the work, but someone did it for peanuts.

That would make sense quite common round here to be removed. Some houses in the area were built with no dividing wall there and in place bifold doors so I imagine people just assume they can take the wall out with no issues.

[Evoluzione]

If all the fronts were the same originally then there's been a lot of change there too over the years.

Under that story was a link to a gable end falling out whilst some kid was walking past, he did nothing, just stepped over the fallen rubble and carried on:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-57...

[230TE]

Evoluzione said:

If all the fronts were the same originally then there's been a lot of change there too over the years.

Under that story was a link to a gable end falling out whilst some kid was walking past, he did nothing, just stepped over the fallen rubble and carried on:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-57...

He's either stoned or the coolest dude in Dorset. Nice bit of new build quality brickwork there.

[RichB]

230TE said:

Evoluzione said:

If all the fronts were the same originally then there's been a lot of change there too over the years.

Under that story was a link to a gable end falling out whilst some kid was walking past, he did nothing, just stepped over the fallen rubble and carried on:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-57...

He's either stoned or the coolest dude in Dorset. Nice bit of new build quality brickwork there.