Our home shakes like we’re in Jurassic Park after neighbours dug huge hole

Lynda and Stephen Winston. Picture: Facebook

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A UK couple’s home has been left in ruins after “Jurassic Park”-style vibrations caused by building work next door has left them with 149 cracks in their walls and £20,000 ($A40,000) worth of damage.

Lynda and Stephen Winston, who moved into their dream home 10 years ago in North Yorkshire, said their lives have been turned upside down by the construction of a new development by Miller Homes right next door.

According to The Sun, the pair claimed their once peaceful home now shakes every time the builders get to work.

They alleged the building work has caused significant damage to their ceilings, ceramic floor tiles, and both internal and external brickwork.

To make matters worse, the dust from the site has rendered their garden unusable for four years.

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Langley Gate where developers are building new homes. Picture: Google Street View

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The damage was reportedly caused by vibrations from a huge hole being dug for a stormwater tank.

“The pictures are rattling on the walls,” Mrs Winton told The Telegraph.

“My cups of tea have the Jurassic Park effect.

“And it has just gone on and on and on. [Miller Homes] promised they would put in some vibration metres – they didn’t.

“They basically made placating noises that they were doing everything they could to stop the vibration but they didn’t.”

Now, the Winstons are facing a whopping £20,910 ($A41,000) bill to fix the damage – which involves replacing plasterboard, filling in hairline cracks, and redecorating every room.

But the developers have offered the couple just £1,000 ($A1,900) in compensation, but the Winstons aren’t satisfied.

“My husband has a life-limiting heart condition and cancer. This development – and the stress it has given us – contributed to him having a mini stroke last year,” Mrs Winston said.

“He is not well and our home, no matter what, is going to have to be [turned] upside down for I don’t know how long – and they’re offering us £1,000 as a gesture of goodwill.

“That won’t even pay for the scaffolding to go up to fix the gable end of our house.”

Residents say they have been impacted by vibrations caused by building work. Picture: Google Street View

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The Winstons said the damage began when Miller Homes excavated a pit for a stormwater tank.

Mrs Winton claimed the vibrations started almost immediately and continued long after the excavation was finished.

“It’s gone on for months,” she said. “They promised vibration metres but they didn’t deliver.

“It’s as if they’re just brushing us off.”

The couple believe Miller Homes should have known that digging close to their property line would cause serious damage, and they said the developer should foot the bill for repairs.

However, Miller Homes insists that the damage isn’t structural, with surveys showing only hairline cracks and “cosmetic issues.”

Ms Winston added: “It may be cosmetic to them but this is my home. I’ve never lived in a house in this state of disrepair. I’m so upset.

“There were quite a lot of things that needed doing when we bought this house 10 years ago.

“We put down new floors, we put in a new kitchen, a new bathroom – and now it’s just wrecked.”

Neighbours aren’t faring much better.

Will Blue, who lives next door, claims vibrations from the site have also caused cracks in his home, a damaged ceiling, and several doors that no longer shut.

After spending £5,000 ($A9,800) fixing the damage, he said Miller Homes refused to pay for the repairs.

“It’s the powerlessness of it,” he said.

“I just want to have a conversation with Miller Homes and sort this out. They’ve completely ignored us.”

A spokesperson for Miller Homes told The Telegraph: “As a responsible developer, we care about making positive impacts in the communities we work within.

“ A key part of this is striving to minimise the impact on neighbours while we build new homes.

“We regret that work at our Langley Gate development impacted a small number of neighbours and we have tried to work constructively with them on resolving the issues.

“A series of surveys, conducted by independent surveyors, have identified hairline cracks and minor cosmetic defects.

“We have made offers of compensation and are committed to rectifying these issues through continued dialogue with the affected parties.”

Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and were republished with permission.