Massive Crack Found- Need Help Please

[garyc2011]

Hi All.

Could do with some advice quick please.

I am re-doing the bathroom removed the tiles to find the plaster was blown so removed that back to brick....then i found this!!

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• garyc2011
• 25 Nov 2011
• 1

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• garyc2011
• 25 Nov 2011
• 1

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• garyc2011
• 25 Nov 2011
• 1

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• garyc2011
• 25 Nov 2011
• 1

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• garyc2011
• 25 Nov 2011
• 1

It is a terrace house and this crack is in the back right corner as you look at... there is a slight draft coming through as well.

Any advice would be much appreciated as i am a little worried what it could be.

 

[joe-90]

It's probably old movement. You can either fill the cracks in with mortar or if you are worried fit stitch bars. If the wall was moving your tiles would have cracked.

 

[garyc2011]

Cheers Joe-90 much appreciated!!

Your right the tiles hadn't cracked just saw it an i thought oh sh*t!!!

good to get some advice from someone who knows what they are talking about.

Thanks again.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

Get the Helifix crack stitching kit, page 104 in Screwfix catalouge, all the stuff you will need is there.
The mortar joints look easy enough to rake out, fit them every 4/5 courses, bend the bars so the go into both walls.

 

[garyc2011]

Cheers cotswoldbuilders!

After Jo-90's advice i have just been looking for a crack stitching kits, thanks for pointing out this one..

have you used it before? i take it is a good one as you are recommending it.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[stuart45]

Quite common in old terraced houses when the party walls were not tied in properly to the external walls. The external walls moved out a bit in time, especially if the floor joists were not built into them.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

We have used them quite a lot, especially when structural engineers have stated this method, in a couple of barn conversions we have done recently, with far bigger cracks than yours.
You can also get the longer nozzel, so that you can drill through from outside wall into internal dividing wall, you can then insert the twist bar into the the gun via the extended nozzel, push the whole lot into the drilled hole, pump the gun, which is filled with Helibond and slowly withdraw whilst pumping.
Ties outer wall back to innner wall.

 

[garyc2011]

cheers Stuart45

Yeap its pretty old just speaking to the next door neighbour his house was built in 1866 mine used to be a workshop for the house and according to him my house was built for.... "A bet"

He is digging out the plans now so god knows what this dolls house will test me with... might be on here asking a couple more questions in the near future?!


Thanks again

 

[garyc2011]

Thanks a lot cotswoldbuilders really appreciate your advice.

I think that sounds like a plan to Tie outer wall back to innner wall.

if i do this will it be solid or should i put a mesh membrane on to see if the crack grows?


Thanks again.

 

[^woody^]

You don't seem to have enough wall on the return to enable helical ties to be used to any effect.

It looks like an old crack in any case.

If there are no other signs of distress on the other side of the wall or floor/ceiling below or above, then point it up and board over it

 

[Adaptor]

Quite common in old terraced houses when the party walls were not tied in properly to the external walls. The external walls moved out a bit in time, especially if the floor joists were not built into them.

Is there any reason, apart from cost, effort or technical know-how, why they did not do this?

 

[stuart45]

Effort and cost(very little saved). They had the know how back then.
In theory all the walls should go up together, but in practice the party walls often went up first. They still could have let some toothings in the party wall though.