Subsidence, settlement and heave
A bulge follows the first-floor line and the wall below is straight. What restraint at that floor was not seen?
The restraint where the first floor meets the bulging wall was not seen. The bulge follows that floor line, and the wall below is straight, so the distortion sits at the floor rather than as a tilt from the ground. Restraint at that level would be the straps, the joist ends or the ties that hold the wall back to the floor. None of those was exposed. The survey has recorded the line of the bulge and the straight wall beneath it. It has not opened the cavity, has not tested wall ties, and has not decided that the ties have failed.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A wall that leaves the vertical only at a floor line is often a restraint question. The floor should hold the wall in. If that holding is missing, the wall can belly at that storey while the masonry below stays straight. Seeing the belly from outside does not show the strap, the joist end or the tie in the cavity. Those parts are covered. The straight wall below suggests this is not a simple lean from the foundation. It is not a view of the restraint itself.
An investigation of the restraint, if you commission one, would need to see the floor ends or the cavity at that line. The home survey has asked nothing to be treated as already done: the ties were not tested and the floor connection was not seen. Tell the solicitor the bulge is at first-floor level and the wall below is straight. Do not describe this as proved tie failure, and do not describe it as foundation movement, on the evidence written here. A specialist look is a new instruction.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the bulge follow the first-floor line, with the wall below still straight?
- Which straps, joist ends or ties at that floor did you actually see?
- Have wall ties been tested, or left unopened?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the bulge at the floor line, not as a foundation tilt.
- Do not call unseen ties a completed failure.
- If restraint must be known, instruct a separate look.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the ground-floor wall is straight, have the foundations been cleared?
The straight wall below is against reading this as a lean from the ground. It does not clear the foundations of every other defect, and it does not show the restraint at the floor. The survey has not tested the ties and has not seen the straps or joist ends. The bulge stays a floor-line note.
Does a bulge at the floor always mean the ties have gone?
No. Tie failure is one possibility, and it was not investigated. The cavity was not opened and the ties were not tested. Joist ends and straps were not seen either. The survey records where the wall bulges. It has not completed a tie investigation.