Groundworks
Groundworks and Foundations in Felling
The kind of property you have in Felling changes how groundworks and foundations is approached, and the town runs from Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth through to post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook. Felling is a riverside part of Gateshead with a deep mining history, remembered for the 1812 Felling pit disaster.
Call 07854 366464Get a Free QuoteGroundworks and Foundations done properly in Felling
More than 25 years of building work across the borough means we know which questions to ask on a Felling property before quoting, and the quote itself always arrives in writing.
Groundworks
Our groundworks and foundations in Felling cover
- Retaining structures: small retaining walls and level changes on sloping plots
- Drainage: foul and surface water runs, inspection chambers and connections to the existing system
- Footings and foundations: strip, trench fill and stepped foundations sized to the ground and the load
- Building control stages: foundation and drainage inspections booked and attended
- Site clearance and levelling: clearing, reducing and setting levels before anything is set out
- Sub base and hardcore: compacted layers built up in lifts rather than tipped and rolled once
Local Knowledge
Local considerations for groundworks and foundations in Felling
Felling falls under Gateshead Council for both planning and building control, which is the practical starting point for groundworks and foundations here. In a Tyneside flat the ownership split above and below makes the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 a normal early step, and Gateshead Council will also want to see how any new structure ties into the shared building. None of that is a reason not to do the work. It is a reason to establish the constraint before a design is finalised rather than after it has been drawn twice.
Ground conditions are the second thing we look at. The coal legacy here is documented in detail and much of Felling sits inside the high risk mapping, so mining risk is checked as standard before any new foundation is designed. For groundworks this is not a footnote, it is the whole job, and it is the reason a trial hole early on is usually cheaper than an assumption.
Property types vary across Felling more than the name of the town suggests. Around Felling Square, Heworth, Leam Lane you will typically find Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth, while further out there is post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook. For groundworks and foundations, older properties usually have shallow foundations that a new deeper foundation has to be stepped down to meet, while newer housing is generally closer to modern depths. Terraced streets with back lanes are the pattern, and the lane is usually the practical route for materials. None of this changes how we price, since every Felling job is quoted in writing after a visit, but it does change what goes on the van and how the week is planned.
Recent work
Our Approach
How we work in Felling
Site visit first
We come out, look at the property and ask the awkward questions before quoting. A price given without a visit is a guess dressed up as a quote.
A written quote
You get a written, no obligation quote that states the scope. If something is excluded, it says so rather than leaving it to be argued about later.
Regulations handled
Groundworks is where the ground itself decides the specification. Foundation depth and type come from what is actually found in the trench, and in a former coalfield the Coal Authority mapping can require a mining risk assessment, and occasionally a permit, before anything is dug.
Kept informed
We keep you updated as the work goes on rather than disappearing for a week. It is the least complicated part of building work and the part most often done badly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Groundworks and Foundations in Felling: your questions
What is a coal mining risk assessment and do I need one?
It is a report that identifies past coal working under or near a site and what it means for the proposed foundation. Where a site falls inside a Coal Authority Development High Risk Area the local authority commonly asks for one with the application, and in some cases a permit is needed before ground is disturbed.
Do you deal with tree roots near the foundation?
Trees affect foundation depth on shrinkable soils, and a protected tree brings its own consent requirements. Both are established before the design is finalised rather than discovered in the trench.
What sort of properties do you carry out groundworks and foundations on in Felling?
All of them. Around Felling Square and Heworth the stock is mostly Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth, and further out Felling has post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook. The right approach depends far more on the age and construction of the individual property than on the town.
Are there any planning restrictions I should know about in Felling?
Possibly, depending on exactly where the property sits. In a Tyneside flat the ownership split above and below makes the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 a normal early step, and Gateshead Council will also want to see how any new structure ties into the shared building. If your property is affected, the design is shaped around that from the start rather than revised afterwards.
Do ground conditions in Felling affect groundworks and foundations?
They can. The coal legacy here is documented in detail and much of Felling sits inside the high risk mapping, so mining risk is checked as standard before any new foundation is designed. We raise it at the quote stage rather than after the digger arrives, so you know whether an investigation or an assessment is likely to be needed.
Which council handles groundworks and foundations applications in Felling?
Felling comes under Gateshead Council for both planning and building control. That is where a building regulations application is made and where the inspector who signs the work off comes from. A foundation design that matches the ground found in the trench, plus coal mining risk where the mapping requires it is what they will be looking for.
Is the groundwork guaranteed?
Yes. Workmanship is guaranteed for an agreed period, and the building control record of the foundation inspection stays with the property.
What happens if you hit made ground or an old structure?
We stop, record it, and agree the way forward with you and building control before continuing. Building over an unknown void or on made ground without addressing it is how expensive problems start.
Do you carry out drainage connections?
Yes, including new runs, inspection chambers and connections. Where work sits over or close to a public sewer we deal with the build over agreement with the water authority.
Do you cover the areas around Felling as well, such as Gateshead and Jarrow and Hebburn?
Yes. Alongside Felling we regularly carry out groundworks and foundations in Gateshead, Jarrow, Hebburn and across the wider North East, working from our base in Blaydon-on-Tyne.
Also covering near Felling
We carry out groundworks and foundations across the surrounding area as well as in Felling itself.
Other building services in Felling
Whatever else the project needs, it is the same team and the same standard.
Planning groundworks and foundations in Felling?
Tell us what you are planning and we will arrange a look at the property. You get a written, no obligation quote for groundworks and foundations in Felling, and an honest answer about what the regulations will actually require.
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