hope somebody can help me

[russellsmiler]

Are trying to sell my house and a prospective buyer had a full blown house survey undertaken!, this threw back many many problems...99% of which are fee justifying drivel...However, when i bought the house i converted a single doorway into a double doorway and built an exposed archway as structural support. the archway is spot on there are no, not even an hairline plastercrack above or at the corners of the archway, the load being carried by the arch is approx 2.9m of masonry with no inter loading (floorjoist etc)
but this as come back on the survey as havingpotentially no structural integrity as there is no building control certificate to back it up.


Now then! Even my intelligent cocker spaniel could tell you ther is absolutely nothing structurally wrong in the archway, however i have to respond in a convincing way, any ideas.

Dont really want to start going down the structural engineer route, anybody know of any literature that could prove that my archway is structurally sound

Russell

 

[noseall]

An arch is only as strong as the masonry preventing it pushing sideways.

Building control will not sanction this method as someone may one day alter the masonry to the sides of the arch etc.

What kind of arch have you built?

Half round, semi-elliptical..??

 

[tony1851]

How long has the job been done? Building Control certainly won't take any enforcement action on it if some considerable time has elapsed.
From the structural point of view, if the brick wall carries on up through the first floor, AND there is a reasonable length of brickwork each side of the arch, it would remain stable. There are some technical books with sections on masonry arches, but it is really an SEs job proving it. Sometimes it can be down to experience and plain common sense as to what 'feels' right.

Noseall; with respect, I feel I have to disagree with one point. If he could prove the arch was structurally OK, BC would have to approve it. The OP can have no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for what any future owner might do to the property. Similarly, BC cannot assume some idiot will come along in x years time and start knocking more walls out.

 

[^woody^]

An arch is inherently stable. The problem you have is that the buyer had engaged a numpty surveyor, and what ever you try and do or say, the buyer will always believe his surveyor, and the surveyor can never ever admit that he was wrong.

You have to either tell him to do one, or get the solicitors to agree an indemnity policy as part of the conveyance.

 

[noseall]

If he could prove the arch was structurally OK, BC would have to approve it.

True.

The key point is 'proving it'.

There are manufactured arch form lintels available in varying sizes along with manufacturers calc's.

 

[tony1851]

.

The key point is 'proving it'.

Yes,I know, and that's the hard bit