Calk join between attached houses

[allthebuttons]

What is this vertical line of calk between two new-build attached houses - does it go all the way through between 2 separate walls?

Can it tell me anything about how the dividing wall is constructed and whether it's likely to have good sound insulation?

Thanks.

 

[bernardgreen]

What is this vertical line of rubbery material between two new-build attached houses?

Thermal expansion gap. Allows the walls to expand and contract with out putting too much strain on the mortar holding the bricks together.

It can mean the the walls are made of concrete slabs with a thin veneer of decorative brick work glued onto the concrete slab. Often used in re-inforced concrete bridges slab construction with decor may now be used in some housing developments.

. Good brick work will cope wth expansion, as in long rows of terraced houses with no expansion gaps. But modern building methods, fast cheap and minimum skills mean good brick work does not happen on low cost mass produced housing. ( that is low cost to build, the selling price doesn't reflect the cost to build.

 

[allthebuttons]

Thermal expansion gap. Allows the walls to expand and contract with out putting too much strain on the mortar holding the bricks together.

It can mean the the walls are made of concrete slabs with a thin veneer of decorative brick work glued onto the concrete slab.

Thanks. So that would mean two separate concrete walls with a (tiny) gap - I assume this is actually better for sound isolation between the properties than traditional brick wall with no gap?

 

[bernardgreen]

I couldn't answer the question about party walls. Building designs and standarts vary so much. In the past concrete slab construction was something mortgaga companies were concerned about. Maybe things have improved.

That said a concrete slab build can go very badly wrong.

A recently built road bridge over a railway, the brick veneer is about 1 inch thick, the second panel had to be stripped and re-veneered as the brick courses did not line up across the gap.

 

[allthebuttons]

Just to check - the gap will go all the way between the houses? Or could this just be for the exterior wall?

 

[Guitarguy]

You may find that this is a timber framed house with a brick skin. This is an expansion gap as others have said. There is also a 10mm ish expansion gap at the top of the brickwork under the soffit and also under the window sill.
Sound insulation isn't the best but they have very good thermal insulation as are packed with Rockwool/ celotex

 

[^woody^]

It's an expansion joint for brickwork only. That's it. It tells nothing of the party wall or sound insulation or internal wall.

 

[allthebuttons]

Understood. Thanks for the explanation.