Services/Construction, structural & civils

Underpinning and foundation repair in West London

Lowering or strengthening foundations, whether you're digging down or dealing with movement. Sequenced, monitored, and never rushed.

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6–14weeks on site, typically
Baysequenced to an engineer's design
Monitoredas the work proceeds
Insuranceliaison where needed

Listed, vetted and reviewed on

Ogival Ltd, registered in England & Wales no. 15191703 · Public liability insured · NICEIC registered electrical work · Gas Safe registered plumbing and heating

Underpinning is either part of a basement dig or a response to movement — subsidence, a failed foundation, a neighbour's tree. Either way it is engineer-led work that has to be done in the right order, and the order is not negotiable.

When you need it

You're digging down and the existing foundations aren't deep enough to retain the new level.
The house is moving — cracking that follows a diagonal, doors that have stopped closing, a bay that's dropped.
A structural survey or an insurer has specified it, and you need a contractor who can work to an engineer's design and document it.

Sequenced excavation and foundation work

What's included in an underpinning job

Our groundworkers, working to an engineer's design handle the whole of it, so there's no second company to chase and no gap between trades for something to fall through.

Structural engineer's design
Trial holes and investigation
Party wall awards
Bay sequencing
Excavation and muck away
Mass concrete underpinning
Movement monitoring
Insurance and loss adjuster liaison
Making good

Send a photo of the crack

Photograph the crack with something for scale, inside and out if you can. We'll tell you whether it looks structural or cosmetic.

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At a glance

ServiceUnderpinning
GroupConstruction, structural & civils
Typically6–14 weeks on site
CoveringWest London
BasedLondon W10

Why Ogival

25 years in London construction
Thirty-one trades under one contractor
Drawings and calculations in-house
A written schedule of works and payments
NICEIC and Gas Safe registered

How we work

Options

Why people end up needing underpinning

Movement or subsidence

Cracking that follows a diagonal, doors that stopped closing, a bay that has dropped. Usually an insurance route.

Gaining head height

Lowering a cellar floor, which means taking the existing foundations down with it.

Supporting a new basement

The foundations weren't designed for the level you're digging to, so they're extended in bays.

Quickest way to get an answer

Send a photo of the crack.

Photograph the crack with something for scale, inside and out if you can. We'll tell you whether it looks structural or cosmetic.

No form, no callback queue, no salesman. Emanuel looks at it himself and tells you what he sees — including the times the answer is that you don't need us.

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OOgivalonline

Crack above the bay window that's got worse this year. Should I be worried?

Photo's useful. It's diagonal and wider at the top, which is the pattern worth investigating.

Before anyone talks about underpinning: is there a large tree nearby, and has anything changed with the drains?

I'd rather come and look than guess. If it is movement, your insurer will want it documented properly from day one.

Message

A typical exchange. Usually answered the same day.

How it runs

How an underpinning job runs, stage by stage

Four stages, and you'll always know which one you're in.

01
Trial holes and investigation
Trial holes to establish what the existing foundation actually is, before anyone designs anything.
02
Engineer's design and consents
Engineer's design, party wall awards, and agreement with the insurer where it's a claim.
03
Sequenced excavation
Bays dug and filled in the designed order, never more than the design allows open at once.
04
Monitoring and sign-off
Movement monitored throughout, records kept, and everything made good.

Sequenced excavation and foundation work

Recent projects

Underpinning we've carried out

Foundation work carried out to an engineer's design, in sequence.

Macfarlane Road, W12Read the case study →

Providence Villas, W12Read the case study →

All our case studies

Permissions

Building control, party walls and insurers

Underpinning is engineer-led work and it is notifiable. Where it follows subsidence there is usually an insurer and a loss adjuster involved too, and the documentation you end up with matters as much as the concrete when you sell.

Rules change and every property is different. We confirm what applies to yours in writing at the survey rather than leaving you to guess.

An engineer's design and calculations are required before any excavation
Building control notification and inspection throughout
Party Wall Awards with any neighbour whose foundations are affected
Movement monitoring records, kept and handed over
Where it's an insurance claim, agreement with the loss adjuster before starting

Budget

How much does an underpinning cost in London?

We don't publish prices, because a number without a survey is a guess and you'd be right not to trust it. These are the things that actually move it.

Depth and length of underpinning required

Ground conditions and water

Access for excavation and muck away

Number of party wall neighbours

Whether it's an insurance claim and the documentation involved

How long does an underpinning job take?

6–14 weeks on site on site for a typical job in West London, though the drawings, permissions and party wall process before it can add longer. We give you a written programme with the quote so you can see both.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing, and the quote comes with a written schedule of works so you can see what every stage is for.

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Before you appoint anyone

Four questions to ask before you hire anyone for underpinning work

Ask them of us as well. The answers tell you more than the number at the bottom of the page — and a contractor who can't answer them quickly is telling you something too.

Ask us right now

01
Ask for the bay sequence drawing and the maximum number of bays open at once
02
Ask how movement is monitored and what the trigger levels are
03
Ask whether they've dealt with loss adjusters before
04
Make sure you get the full documentation pack at the end — you will need it

What clients say

Word of mouth, written down.

Left by Ogival customers on MyBuilder and TrustATrader

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.

★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.
★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

Read them in full on MyBuilder, TrustATrader and Houzz.

Where we work

Underpinning across West London.

Underpinning across West London, much of it on clay subsoil with mature street trees — the two things that cause most of the movement we're called to.

Ogival, W10 5DW
Everyday patch, within 10 miles
Regular work, 10 to 20 miles
By arrangement, out to 30 miles

Where we do this most

Outside this? Ask anyway. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right firm for the journey.

Questions we get asked

The things people ring up about.

The questions that come up on the phone most often, answered the way we'd answer them on site.

Is underpinning covered by insurance?

Subsidence damage often is, though excesses are typically high. We work with loss adjusters regularly and can provide the documentation they need.

How do I know if I have subsidence?

Diagonal cracking wider at the top, doors and windows sticking, and cracks that change with the seasons. Cracking alone isn't proof — most cracks are not subsidence.

Will underpinning devalue my house?

Properly designed, executed and documented underpinning is a repair, and the paperwork matters as much as the concrete when you come to sell.

How long does it take?

Six to fourteen weeks depending on how many bays. It cannot be accelerated by opening more bays at once — that's exactly what the sequence prevents.

The rest of what we do

Underpinning, and thirty other things we do

Most jobs pull in more than one of these. Having them all under the same roof is what stops a project stalling for three weeks waiting on somebody else's diary.

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Start here

Tell us what you're planning.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing. If the job isn't right for us, we'll say so and point you somewhere better.

Free, no-obligation site visit and written quote
You deal with Emanuel, not a sales rep
A written schedule of works and payments before anything starts
Covering Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham

07428 135100 info@ogival.co.uk

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