Tying in brickwork

[Dave Thornley]

In the kitchen of my old cottage there is a fireplace with brickwork down to ground level. The previous owners did not use this fireplace and converted it to take an oven. To level everything up they built a single skin wall in front of the chimney brickwork. Problem is they never bothered to tie it into the existing brickwork and it just sort of hangs free, just going high enough to be above ceiling plasterboard height. Iy is sturdy on the angle shown in photo 1. You can see what I mean by it just ending at the ceiling in photo 2 and photo 3 shows the wall in front of a block wall behiind it again to which it is not attached just a space of around 50mm.
Looking at photo 2 if I try to pull the wall at the top 5 or 6 courses all bend forwards slightly.
I know the easiest solution is to knock the whole thing down and start again but as it is just a facade I would prefer a quicker remedy ie taking down the first 5/6 courses and tying them into the brickwork behind or is there something I could pump between the two layers to bond them together.?

 

[Ian H]

What about a few retro fitted wall ties?

 

[Dave Thornley]

That was my intiail reaction . Say do away with top 5 /6 courses and rebuild with standard wall ties. I am sure I saw some time ago about a retrofit item that you drill straight through the front brick and into the brickwork behind.

 

[Ian H]

There are a couple of different types, I used some neoprene ones that need an 11mm hole. They were nice and tight once fitted.

 

[Dave Thornley]

Have just seen a few varieties. Not cheap as I only need about 6 at most and lots only sell by the hundred.

 

[Ian H]

I’d give you 6 but you need a super thin 8mm deep socket to fix them.

There are some others that screw into a smaller hole but i’ve never used them.

 

[Dave Thornley]

I have seen on Amazon one can buy just the helical rod. I may get a length of that and resin it into both skins of brick.
Or possibly these https://www.toolstation.com/masonry-torx-frame-fixing-screw/p39995 using a washer which will be hidden by the render.

 

[cdbe]

If you're rebuilding the top few courses and the bit below is reasonably sound just drill and rawlplug some 6" screws into the blockwork so 3-4" is sticking out and rebuild the brickwork round them.

 

[Dave Thornley]

My wofe was doing an Amazon order so just tagged on a metre of the helical rod.

 

[^woody^]

What's the actual problem again?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

No comment on the chimney oven wall sketch... but please sort out those Speedfit couplers on copper pipe before you reboard the ceiling. Signs of a massive bodger (Speedfit pipe is cheap, couplers are expensive)- they are not maintenance free so hiding them in the ceiling is not advisable. Replace with soldered copper fittings before boarding (and have a look around the house for other bodged bits of plumbing)

 

[Dave Thornley]

Do you base your comments on experience? No idea what the Speedfit pipe is cheap , couplers expensive is meant to mean. I have used Speedfit fittings for years, some I installed nearly 20 yeras ago still working fine and never had a problem.

 

[cwhaley]

I have to say I agree with the comment regarding fittings. Soldiered copper fittings are far superior.

 

[Dave Thornley]

Each to their own.

 

[^woody^]

No comment on the chimney oven wall sketch... but please sort out those Speedfit couplers on copper pipe before you reboard the ceiling. Signs of a massive bodger (Speedfit pipe is cheap, couplers are expensive)- they are not maintenance free so hiding them in the ceiling is not advisable. Replace with soldered copper fittings before boarding (and have a look around the house for other bodged bits of plumbing)

All the new builds are done with plastic pipe and fittings in the floors and ceilings