Self Build Insurance - Made Ground

mike_2009

Has anyone built on Made Ground for their self build projects, if so how did you manage to get self build insurance? I see a lot of policies won't cover you below 3 meters or if you use piling but commercial projects do that all the time so why is piling impossible to insure for self build domestics projects? I'm using groundscrews myself and a raft foundation but the underwriters are not interested. Has anyone any advice / insurance brokers to try? PM me if so. Thanks!

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058322423/self-build-insurance-made-ground

Traditional foundations are simple. Pretty straight forward for a self builder. Deep foundations like piles, screws, sheets are site specific and require a high degree of engineering. They are specialist constructions and it's pretty important that they are installed by specialist with the own insurance backing the install.

mike_2009

Thanks - The groundworks and groundscrew teams all have their own insurance & the groundscrew team have done over 500 sites with this technology. As I'm going direct labour I wanted to have my own insurance in case of fire / theft onsite etc throughout the build. The structural engineers have their own PI insurance to cover the design. Just was surprised to find resistance from the insurance market so far to any ground issues / specialist foundations being proposed. It would increase reinstatement costs but anything non-vanilla is proving challenging.

Mellor

The ground works team’s insurance is going to be pretty limited. It’s difficult to exactly determine where the line is.

example. You get separate insurance from the GF slab up. Halfway through the build, there’s a fire and house burns down. Site has to be bulldozed. Rebuilding requires significant rework to the slab and foundations, but both were install perfectly so groundwork insurance (rightfully) doesn’t cover this. Ground up insurance has to cover.

Hypothetical, simple example. But you get the point.

Engineers PI cover design work, it doesn’t cover any construction work.

mike_2009

There is a company that splits employers/public liability from building insurance (as its built). It would be silly but if they offered the former and not the latter then I could still build but if anything happens the structure I'd be sunk but once finished (if I rushed it) I could get full normal house insurance and from then on it would be ok, hell of a risk but what else can I do?

From talking to brokers I either need to be a builder myself or have perfect ground. Silly but a good warning to anyone else not to fall down the rabbit hole I just have.... I can sell the site at least, very much doubt I can afford a main contractor and I'd be waiting a year or two anyway.