Extension brickwork - join to original?

ormus

afaik toothing in, done properly will be fine. assuming the foundations are done properly too.
where there are problems is when poor design/workmanship and or ground movement has occurred.
if there is any reason to suspect there are ground problems in the area, then butt joining is preferable. furfix.

my extension brickwork was toothed in 20 yrs ago. there are no cracks whatsoever.

charfield_2

thanks for that. One thing I did notice on the plans (I have no idea whether this bears any relevance whatsoever) is that the foundations for the new build are somewhat deeper than the foundations for the existing brickwork which is being joined up to.

When we talked to the builder about the ugly brickwork, he didn't mention anything about foundations or movement though- just brick sizes and varying mortar depths on the old brickwork being the reason why the new wasn't tied in with the old.

Will he have to knock the lot down then? He has built up to the rafters. The brickwork does tie in at the top but not the middle or bottom!!! Is is possible to just re-work the sections that need tying in? I'm dreading this conversation with him!

thanks!

System

you will have to pay the builder to demolish the work he has already done and build a new wall, possibly with different bricks and/or mortar to your new specifications.
Assuming you have drawings for this, the builder should have built what was on these, now you have seen it and changed your mind you will have to pay him to change his work, it is not down to the builder.

Tucker

I couldn't say as I don't know how much work would be involved changing it or how much he would have to dismantle to then rebuild with it tied in. That's probably something to ask him to give you an option on with a cost.

He should have used Croc Straps to pin the new wall to the old in any event and that would be worth checking.

It's one of the main problems when you build flush to an existing build. Mine was recessed, so it's easy to tie with croc straps and open up the cavity from the old to the new to maintain the cavity through the whole property.

charfield_2

This was not on the drawings at all. I did not even know it was going to be an issue until I came home and it was already all completed. Should the builder not have pointed this out before completing the wall.

The wall itself is 600mm wide- large doorway to right obviously spanning across (6ish metres) over doorway-so not a great deal to knock out. Just wasn't sure if knocking out was an option. I assumed the whole wall would have to be re-done.

Nobody has commented on the rendering option- is this a bad idea and/or too expensive?

will check the croc thing- have read all about these!

thanks for your replies

System

do you have a building warrant for this?? the detail of how the new wall is tied in is usually a fundamental detail for building standards...
however, if there is not a drawn detail or written specification it really is down to the builder to do it the way they see fit, dovetailling bricks in obviously will take a lot more time to do, so will be more expensive. This is something you should have told the builder and included in the drawings so that the builder could quote accurately, it will definitely cost you to have him take down a wall he's just built and rebuild it the way you have now decided is the best. I would imagine he won't be too chuffed about it either!

not sure why you would want to render over a brick wall, or on only one wall of a house, that will look worse than a joint in the brickwork any day!

*j*

Two cheaper solutions to mask the difference are; arranging for a downspout to be at the joint or growing a climbing plant.

These are two common "disguises", and both much less expensive than rebuilding.

*j*

fybar

We're having an extension built at the moment and the builder has used this sort of gizmo. It's been passed by the building inspector so I'm quite happy with it.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/66650/Building/Builders-Metalwork/SS-Wall-Multi-Starter-Kit

charfield_2

Thanks for the suggestions. The builder has obviously done as he's seen fit. Unfortunately I'm not an expert in bricklaying so before disputing the matter with him, I did some investigation about tying in. Some say 'can', some say 'can't', so when he gave me the reasons why he didn't tie in, it all sounded kosha. In any case, it wasn't an issue I knew would arise until the wall was done!
After all, we're paying for the 'experts' to do the job, so there is an element of trusting them to be able to do it. It certainly wasn't the case that I was reticent to ask questions- I honestly didn't know there was a question to be asked- until the wall was there.
As for the rendering, it is only the back wall and as it is a single storey with a pitched roof and huge glass doors on one side and a window on the other. It juts way out from the rest of the house so maybe it wouldn't look odd - no need to do either side wall as they are not visible anyway(neighbours either side). We would also do the front of the house, but when we can afford it.

Unfortunately the down pipe can't go on the join. Maybe the climbing plant is a good idea.....

oh well, you live and learn. Mind you I don't plan to have another extension to put what I've now learned into practice! C'est la vie!

thanks guys!

Tucker

That's the problem. Sometimes you only do things once in life, so it's hard to learn from it for next time.

At the end of the day these things are not life of death, merely cosmetic.

In a years time you won't look twice at it and will wonder why you spent so much time fretting over it in the first place...

On the rendering side...... it's not exactly cheap, can crack and needs regular painting to keep it looking fresh, so bear in mind there are ongoing costs to render.