Gaps between walls - is this normal?

[diyyid]

Hi

I moved into a flat around a year ago and the bedroom has always been cold. The landlord is due to attend Thursday and do a temperature check but I noticed a few things I wanted to check about.

Firstly, there is a disused socket on the wall facing the outside. I've noticed there is cold air coming in through that. I used a 14cm long cable tie to probe depth via a hole in the metal housing that hosted the socket, and found it can go in all the way. This wall holds windows and they take up half the height. The wall itself spans the width of the room.

Secondly, on the wall connected to my living room, there are a couple of holes in the skirting and wall. In both cases, the cable tie is able to penetrate enough to fall in.

The flat is a solid wall construction and this issue has been on and off with my landlord. I understand solid walls buildings are more prone to cold, but my findings strike me as a bit odd.

 

[Bosswhite]

Cavity Wall ???

 

[diyyid]

From reading online, I thought solid wall construction buildings didn't have cavity walls?

 

[Will..]

How do you know it is solid wall? Any headers in the brickwork?

 

[Burnerman]

Maybe the gap between the wall and any dry lining?
John

 

[Bosswhite]

From reading online, I thought solid wall construction buildings didn't have cavity walls?

Who told you it was solid Wall construction ?
Maybe they meant two solid walls with a cavity in between ?

 

[diyyid]

Hi

Solid wall info came from my friend who does building work and this is what my landlord said about it previously:

"I am not aware of (removed) having cavity wall insulation works undertaken to it.... (Removed) is of a concrete frame construction with brick / block cavity wall infill panels so it would only be these areas where insulation could be applied"

Hopefully this helps. The flat in question is on the 3rd floor of a tower block.

 

[endecotp]

Have you tried poking with something that doesn't bend like a cable tie does?