The couple’s dream house will be demolished due to a huge crack in the wall that could collapse.
The £ 725,000 property, built just five years ago, is already on the verge of collapse due to changes in the land it was built on.
The insurance company considered the Cambridgeshire home a death trap and ordered it to be completely rebuilt.
Madeline and Alastair Price (70 and 69) cannot even open the front door of the five-bed property due to damage.
Single-family homes are inflated with water and are “lifted” by the clayey soil built on them. This is a problem known as ground uplift.
Madeline, who turned from a retired banker to a gardener, said:
“Cracks are almost everywhere. None of the floors or work surfaces are horizontal.
“The door won’t close-I can’t even open it because the front door is stuck.
“The insurance company said it couldn’t be preserved. It’s not just a building, it’s our home.”
Located in a rural village in Wicken, this luxurious home features underfloor heating, a wine chiller and a wood stove.
The couple argue that the builder should have taken this into consideration when building a house with a 10-year warranty under local government building control.
Madeline said:’The soil is dry and there is evidence that the roots of small trees are still there. It’s lifting the house.
“They should have known what the land was like when they built the house.
“We first noticed a small crack a few years later, but put it in a normal new home.
“It started in the hallways, the stairs, and the bedroom in the back.
“A structural engineer visited and said it was a ridge of clay. It was a place where the soil spread under the house.”
Retired bankers Madeline and Alastair must leave the house they share with the Golden Retriever when the demolition notice is issued.
They are rewarded for renting real estate for six months, but say they don’t know if they will return the house or sell it if it is rebuilt.
Madeline said:’They are going to destroy everything and lay the foundation again.
“It can be at least two years away from home.
“We wanted to live in the countryside. I thought this would be our home for a few years, then we moved to the last home.
“For now, I don’t know if it will come back. If it’s rebuilt, it might just go on the market.”
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