Wall ties on 1950s house

diesel100

In process of buying a 1950s detached.




Survey next week but I had a presurvey done by one of the damp proof companies. All clear on damp but he said some sign of cracking in the rendered parts of the house, which is probably due to aged wall ties.
House was cavity insulated 10 yrs.


Is it worth getting done, and how much should it cost to re-tie a 3bed detached? (approx.)

Furts

Hi diesel100
My suggestion is to wait until you receive your survey and see if anything is flagged up.

Bear in mind that the damp proof company probably have a commercial interest in finding failing wall ties. Indeed they may have been discovered by a commision hungry salesman masquerading as a surveyor.

If the wall ties have minor corrosion what does it matter? The house has lasted 60 years and it does not sound like there is a serious problem. To give an analogy - would you expect a sixty year old car that is used every day to be in perfect working order?

The cavity wall insulation should have a guarantee of, IIRR, 25 years. If you start fitting remedial ties this insulation will be disturbed and it is probable your guarantee will be void. Hence check the small print on this guarantee before agreeing to any remedial works.

diesel100

vendor has no copy of the insulation certificate but I have asked the sol if they can chase this up formally. yes agree wait till home buyers report survey next week...probably me getting anxious/nervous/excited in one

HHarry

Cracked render is an indication of failed wall ties, but you really need someone to drill a hole and have a look with an endoscope.

As Furts said the damp company may have an interest in finding work, but it may genuinely need doing. It probably doesn't need doing immediately, but keep it in mind. We have a 1947 house, and had to have a gable wall rebuilt as it had moved.

Furts

Hi diesel100
I second HHarry, but give consideration to the principles behind building before you make a decision.

In general. render is applied to a house in two layers to form a weatherproof layer on the outside of the wall. This could be three coats if your house is on the coast. If this render has deteriorated with age, and this is natural, then some cracks will appear. These cracks will let in rainwater and your wall ties could corrode. The flip side of this is if the cracks are made good (filled in and coated over) you may not get any much more corrosion because no more water will get into your cavity. Hence, problem solved, or at least delayed until some future date.

Do you also have unrendered walls, and if so, do these show signs of wall tie failure? If these walls are satisfactory, and receive the same exposure, it is probable the problem is caused by the render, and not the ties.

diesel100

Furts wrote: »

Hi diesel100
I second HHarry, but give consideration to the principles behind building before you make a decision.

In general. render is applied to a house in two layers to form a weatherproof layer on the outside of the wall. This could be three coats if your house is on the coast. If this render has deteriorated with age, and this is natural, then some cracks will appear. These cracks will let in rainwater and your wall ties could corrode. The flip side of this is if the cracks are made good (filled in and coated over) you may not get any much more corrosion because no more water will get into your cavity. Hence, problem solved, or at least delayed until some future date.

Do you also have unrendered walls, and if so, do these show signs of wall tie failure? If these walls are satisfactory, and receive the same exposure, it is probable the problem is caused by the render, and not the ties.

its only the top half of the house that has been rendered, I guess it has been there for more than 20yr or even since the house was built. no visible cracks at the lower level (unrendered parts). Will a good coat of paint suffice the render to "weatherproof" it as the cracks are only just bigger than hairline from what I recall (seeing house again next week with surveyor), and or is there a special filler for such cracks?


thanks guys