Making solid and making good cavity wall

[robbie77]

Hi all,


I added two lintels to create one room from two. I now have a couple of unsightly and draughty cavity walls.

What is best to make sure these are sturdy and neater??

Couple of pics here.



A friend of mine got a bit overenthusiastic on tidying the wall up! and I am little concerned that it may have weakened the support what do you think is best to sort this.
I have plenty of spare bricks! Any ideas welcome

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• robbie77
• 31 Jan 2010
• 1

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• robbie77
• 31 Jan 2010
• 1

Untitled

• robbie77
• 31 Jan 2010
• 1

Untitled

• robbie77
• 31 Jan 2010
• 1

Thanks....

 

[Chukka63]

insulate inbetween then use board adhesive and glue some plasterboard to the underneath.

 

[robbie77]

insulate inbetween then use board adhesive and glue some plasterboard to the underneath.

Is it Ok just to insulate? What would you recommend?Is it worth cementing a few half bricks in for more support?

Cheers for input

 

[noseall]

Whatever slithers of masonry you add to this will not offer a great deal of support.

So, knowing that whatever you add will be cosmetic then you can either use split bricks bedded with mortar coupled with a few patches made good with bonding compound and plasterboard.

I cannot see the point in adding insulation.

Prior to doing any making good, make sure you damp down with water first.

 

[robbie77]

Do you think I could use thermabate type stuff in this cavity? It's not even a full brick width at it's widest.
Can I make the cavity area any stronger or has the goose been cooked, if so, can I put some expanding foam in there to insulate and then board it?

Cheers

 

[noseall]

Why the emphasis on insulation?

If you were to get some frog bricks and split 'em you could then mortar these into the cavity. These may be even strong enough to accept a fixing later on.

I can not see the point in using cav' closers or any other insulation for that matter, as this is not an internal-meeting-external wall detail.

 

[Chukka63]

merely as he mentioned it being draughty.

 

[noseall]

merely as he mentioned it being draughty.

By the time you have mortared in som brick slithers, dabbed a board on and subsequently skimmed up, a draught will be the least thing on your mind.

Incidentally, at the floor detail i would suggest removing at least one course of brick to each leaf creating a trough below the current floor levels.

This trough can be lined with dpm and filled with floor screed level to the exiting floors.

 

[robbie77]

Thanks guys.
noseall you posted before I realised you had today so apologies if I appeared a bit thick headed in my response.

I do have some frog bricks and splitting and mortaring them was the plan.
So between the cavity I shall remove an extra course of brick and lay some plastic DPM and cement or screed over. Would cement be ok or do I need special screed as I am going to tile this area?

Cheers

 

[noseall]

Would cement be ok or do I need special screed as I am going to tile this area?

Cheers

Two or three bags of sharp sand mixed with cement at 4:1 will be ideal for the trough.

 

[robbie77]

I have had another look at the job and I am now concerned that I have removed too much of the bricks from the bottom half of the wall.
Looking at picture one you can see that half a dozen bricks down that the bricks recess a bit and this is because I may have bashed too much of them away in order to tidy it up

What can I do?

I was thinking of creating a box section around the cavity bit and filling the bottom and as high as I can go with concretre to add extra strength?

What do you reckon?

 

[Richard C]

Maybe the an illusion but from the 1st photo, those lintels look as if they only have a bearing of a couple of inches or so , has the work been done in accordance with BR’s & inspected

 

[robbie77]

Maybe the an illusion but from the 1st photo, those lintels look as if they only have a bearing of a couple of inches or so , has the work been done in accordance with BR’s & inspected

Yes. I have had it checked out but subsequently I have tried to neaten up the cavity and not made a good job of it.

Any ideas?

 

[Richard C]

Yes. I have had it checked out but subsequently

Checked out? by whom exactly

I have tried to neaten up the cavity and not made a good job of it.

Difficult to asses from just the pictures you’ve posted but I’m a little concerned that may not be structurally sound To use your words, you’ve bashed away a considerable part of the bricks which may undermine the support what’s left of the wall is providing; & if I’m right about those top bearings being only around a couple of inches you could have a problem there!

What are the lintels holding up?

 

[noseall]

So long as the steels are sitting on 100mm+ of masonry, directly under the bearing point and for say 3 courses, then the rest of the masonry below could be made good (sympathetically) without any ill effects.

There should be 150mm bearing, no?

Some of the weight will be transferred inwards.

the issues of direct shear will not be as pressing lower down so chisel out bad bricks and mortar new ones back in.

Next time you intend to "bash out" masonry, be sure to stitch drill the cutting line beforehand.