An inspection from today raised a few external examples of what we look out for during a snagging survey.
As a quick physics explanation of why subsidence occurs, for a structure to be stable, the force (load) bearing down must be opposed by an equal force pushing upwards. When both upward and downward forces are of the same they are said to be in equilibrium. When the downward force is greater than the upward force, according to the stability as explained regarding equilibrium, the structure will subside, The most common issue affecting the natural balance occurring around foundations is the weather, and specifically in winter a shrinkable soil generally increases in volume, whereas in summer due to the lack of rainfall, it is reduced and evaporation through the increase in temperature causes a clay soil to shrink. In winter as rainfall increases and evaporation decreases; the soil will swell.