Suspicious mortar at edge of house extension

[cyberbub]

Hi all,

I'm looking into buying a house. I'll do a survey of course, but I find that surveyors' reports are useless in some ways - they won't give clear advice or statements, or do any investigations at all... Just "you need to investigate this further"...

The house has an extension above the garage which seems quite solid, double-skin wall etc. I don't know how old it is, and neither does the current owner. However I noticed an area of mortar at the edge of the main house wall, which made me a bit suspicious that there has been a wall tie failed, or (even worse) some cracking which they've tried to cover up. The decorative tiling on the front means that you can't see whether the extension has been toothed in, or wall tied.

I'm hoping some experienced builders might be able to suggest why that mortaring is there, please?

Thanks very much for any tips!

Extension Mortar

• cyberbub
• 9 Jul 2021

Extension Mortar - Zoom

• cyberbub
• 9 Jul 2021

 

[tony1851]

Nothing to worry about IMO; probably disturbed the original brickwork when fixing the beam over the garage door. Tile-hanging for the front of the extension unusual and suggests it's quite old (50s - 60s?).

Fantastic leaded landing window, though! That would clinch it for me.

 

[johnny2007]

Fantastic leaded landing window, though! That would clinch it for me.

I saw one of them smashed in a skip the other day.
Replaced by white upvc

 

[^woody^]

Fantastic leaded landing window, though! That would clinch it for me.

I'll see your leaded window, and raise you a god awful extension.

 

[Nozzle]

Yeah, budget for having a proper roof put on it! What type of survey have you paid for? The cheapest type that the bank/building soc require aren't for your benefit. Pay a little more for a proper survey.

Nozzle

 

[cyberbub]

Thanks guys!

Do you think the strange mortaring is a bit 'tall' to cover just one beam end? Would there not be a similar visible disturbance at the other end of the beam? Is there anything else it could be?

The problem is that there are two windows to the bathroom and toilet just above the roof line of the extension, which would be blocked in if I installed a pitched roof extended from the main roof. Unless the extension had a separate 'low rise' hipped roof put on it????

Why do you say 'godawful' extension by the way? I'm not offended, just want to know, whether you mean godawful looks-wise or some obvious structural problem? Just the flat roof?

Thanks again.

 

[stuart45]

Doesn't have to be a beam over the garage. A trussed purlin was often used for timber studwork being tile hung on the old crosswall construction houses.

 

[cyberbub]

Thanks. But surely this isn't a crosswall house? That's a concrete-based type isn't it?

 

[^woody^]

Why do you say 'godawful' extension by the way?

Because I've had to go on two week course of Diazapam since viewing this thread.

 

[stuart45]

Thanks. But surely this isn't a crosswall house? That's a concrete-based type isn't it?

Yours isn't a crosswall house, but the extension could be the same principle. It could be timber frame under the tiles, and if the studwork is built in a certain way it transfers the load to the side walls without the need for a beam under it.
Crosswall houses don't have to be concrete. Many are brick with timber frames at the front and rear.

 

[sxturbo]

The whole house looks to need re-pointing,

Maybe they just had this bit repaired for possible reasons stated above.

The extension has clearly been there a good number of years so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

It doesn't appear to be a well designed extension but it does the job