Gap between two walls, how to fix?

delmonta

Hi

The waist high wall outside my front door has come away from the house wall, leaving a gap of about 15mm or so. 

You can see in the photo. There is this rubbery material on the small wall where it used to meet the house wall, not sure what this is?

What can I do now, as water will be getting down there and potentially causing issues. 

Any advice?

Apodemus

I'd strip the rubbery stuff off and pack the gap with mortar.  In all probability this will open up again, as the ground is probably dropping at the outward end of the small wall. 

Personally, I would use a soft mortar because I would want to allow the external wall to go on its way, rather than taking the house with it!  

stuart45

What you normally have in gap like that nowadays is the same as a movement joint found in the walls of long runs of masonry.
Usually a compressible filler board and a bead of sealant over the top to make it weather tight.
Expansion Joint Fillers | Miothene | Hydrocell | London | Specialist Construction Supplies | Aerofil | Flexcell | Compressible Filler Board |
As brickwork normally expands once it's been laid, this allow room to stop the wall pushing on the house wall.
Your fall is obviously settling away from the house so you don't have that problem.
You could possibly pack some mortar at the back of the backer board and then paint it white to disguise the large ugly joint.
You can also get thicker backers if you need them.

TELLIT01

Is the dwarf wall a recent addition?  If so, I would be getting whoever built it back as they clearly didn't get the foundation right.

delmonta

TELLIT01 said:

Is the dwarf wall a recent addition?  If so, I would be getting whoever built it back as they clearly didn't get the foundation right.

No it's been there for many years, before I owned the place

delmonta

Ok thanks everyone, I'll try and decided between just some mortar or that backer board

stuart45

Good luck. As it's been like that for a while the settlement might have finished.