Wall ties?

JuanBallOfWimbledon

We bought our house in April and knew at the time we’d need new wall ties (showed up on the survey, a few builders concur, and you can see the rust marks on bricks etc). We’re now getting round to that job but would appreciate some advice. 

My question is, is it ok to go with a builder, or does it really need to be one of the specialist companies eg. Peter Cox? If we go with a company like Cox, we have to pay 300 (ish) quid for a survey before we get a quote, and I’m assuming it’ll be a fair bit pricier than the quotes we have from builders.

Just don’t want to make a costly mistake either way. Thanks 😊

FreeBear

Personally, I wouldn't give Cox the time of day - They promote & sell a range of "cures" for damp that end up doing untold damage to buildings, and I wouldn't trust them to do anything to my home.

Get a local tradesman that has a reputation to maintain, not one of these big nationals with massive overheads to fund.

Megaross

Replacing brick ties is a piece of !!!!!!, any builder worth his onions can do it

stuart45

There are a few things you need to find out before you start. What type of ties you have. The thicker twist type need either removal or isolating. 
Butterfly can be left. 
Types of masonry units, especially the inner walls. Some walls won't type the helical drive types, and need another types which require testing. 
The testing tools are really expensive, so your average builder won't have these, as well as a metal detector to find the old ties.
Size of cavity, so correct length is selected.
Is the cavity insulated? Is so this can cause a few issues.

JuanBallOfWimbledon

stuart45 said:

There are a few things you need to find out before you start. What type of ties you have. The thicker twist type need either removal or isolating. 
Butterfly can be left. 
Types of masonry units, especially the inner walls. Some walls won't type the helical drive types, and need another types which require testing. 
The testing tools are really expensive, so your average builder won't have these, as well as a metal detector to find the old ties.
Size of cavity, so correct length is selected.
Is the cavity insulated? Is so this can cause a few issues.

Thanks for this! Might be a daft question, but how on earth do we figure all that out? We’ve rented for over 30 years, this is our first house and it’s proving to be be an education! Appreciate the reply 👍

JuanBallOfWimbledon

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the replies 👍

stuart45

JuanBallOfWimbledon said:

stuart45 said:

There are a few things you need to find out before you start. What type of ties you have. The thicker twist type need either removal or isolating. 
Butterfly can be left. 
Types of masonry units, especially the inner walls. Some walls won't type the helical drive types, and need another types which require testing. 
The testing tools are really expensive, so your average builder won't have these, as well as a metal detector to find the old ties.
Size of cavity, so correct length is selected.
Is the cavity insulated? Is so this can cause a few issues.

Thanks for this! Might be a daft question, but how on earth do we figure all that out? We’ve rented for over 30 years, this is our first house and it’s proving to be be an education! Appreciate the reply 👍

Not a daft question. Usually, a number of small holes are drilled through the walls in various places to check the size of the cavity, and also a camera can be used to check the type and condition of the ties. 

GDB2222

Stuart, are you saying that this is a specialised job? Or, for example, is it reasonable to get a surveyor in to specify the work, and then leave it up to a builder to get on with it?

You mention a metal detector, but even I have a little box that detects pipes, etc. I bought it years ago, but I don’t recall it being a big expense.

stuart45

It tends to be done by specialists because the testing equipment is expensive. It's not a really complex job though, and a good builder could easily do the job. I've never done it myself, and I don't know any other tradesmen who have done it. I had a friend who was a labourer, that started working for a firm that did replacement ties.
The Helical ties are probably the easiest to use, and can't be tested, so they would probably be a builder's choice.  
If the cavity is filled, drilling can cause issues with the insulation (holes and dust mixing with it and making cold spots}.