Underpinning Unley
Underpinning Unley is about checking what an older home needs so repairs deal with the footings, not just the mark on the wall.
With Unley’s long building history and inner-ring reactive clay, the age and structure of your own house deserve a closer look before work is chosen.
Keeping an old home starts below its walls
Unley and Unley Park were subdivided in 1840. The Corporate Town of Unley followed in 1871, and by 1911 the area had more than 5,000 dwellings, according to the Unley Museum.
Those dates explain the repair-and-keep focus here. They do not date an individual house, but they make it worth finding out how an older home was built before deciding on footing repairs.
Reactive clay predominates in Adelaide’s inner ring, and older homes are more affected by its movement. A fresh coat over a crack cannot tell you whether the footing below needs attention.
Sources: Unley Museum: how Unley developed · InDaily, August 2022: Adelaide soils and ABS figures
Bring the house history into the first look
If you have earlier repair notes or photos, keep them with your new crack photos. Explain which parts of the home seem unchanged and which have started moving.
For solid stone or brick walls, ask what support sits below them. The aim is to understand the existing home before agreeing to work that helps keep it.
Keep reading before choosing a repair
The underpinning Adelaide guide explains when footing work may help. Norwood looks at masonry and trees; Prospect covers protected character buildings.
underpinning AdelaideNorwood: masonry and dry spellsProspect: protected character homes
Questions homeowners ask
Does Unley’s age mean every old house needs new footings?
No. The 1840 subdivision and the number of dwellings recorded by 1911 describe Unley’s history, not the condition of your house. The cracks, supports and ground at your home need checking.
Can I keep my old Unley walls rather than start again?
Start by checking what is moving and what can be repaired. In an older inner-ring home, any engineering advice should guide the agreed footing work rather than assuming the walls must go.
Are old repair photos useful for an Unley crack check?
Yes. In an area with such a long building history, records can help separate older repairs from recent changes. They support the first look but do not replace a structural check if one is needed.
Get a fast quote
Tell us what you're seeing. We'll be in touch within 30 minutes.
When we reply, we'll explain how to share photos of the cracks.