Bulge in Cellar Wall

[Wardster]

Hi all - I'm buying a property which was built around 1895.
Its a terraced house, but as you look at the property from the front, the left side of the house has an alleyway giving access down the side of my house into the back garden.
Along this wall used to be a door which at some point in time has been filled in with brick, and a lintel is present.
Therefore, the wall of my house along this alleyway is directly above the limit of the cellar.

The problem is, is that when you go into the cellar, is the brick wall in the cellar that is directly below the wall as described above, and there is a large "bulge" that is roughly 5-6 ft long in length, and maybe a couple of ft high. The extent of the bulge away from the wall is hard to measure, but if you was to imagine a big blister, then its bulging by maybe 3 inches away from the level of the wall.

Now, as the purchasing of the house is only in the early stages, and the surveyor still has to do his checks, what does anyone suggest about this problem? I have a good builder who has recommended a course of action, but has anyone else come across this type of problem, and if so, how critical was it?

Any info or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Wardster

 

[tim00]

First you have to determine the cause of the bulge.
Do any neighbors have similar problems?
Are there any associated problems eg. wall cracks, uneven door or window heads, local damp?
Is the ext, wall in question perfectly plumb?
Is the floor in the room above level? Do the floor joists bear on to this wall?
Note: if you investigate by removing a brick or two from the bulge to determine the conditions behind it then be cautious.
What did your builder suggest?

 

[Wardster]

Hi - thanks for replying tim00. The next door neighbour's cellar has been filled in, and the external wall is even and level. There used to be a problem in the pathway along the alley, and apparently, according the the neighbour, the path was concrete that had sunk due to the concrete breaking up. This led to pools of water forming in the area that underneath is roughly the place where the bulging is in the cellar wall.

Builder suggests building up a blockwork wall, tying into the wall with pins and filling up gap between block wall and cellar wall with concrete.

Wardster

 

[breezer]

would that be what is known as "solving the problem, not the cause" ?

 

[Tom.]

Personally I'd find the cause of the bulge, and repair that - not patch it up.

 

[breezer]

isnt that what i said?

 

[Tom.]

Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to see more than one person making that suggestion.....

 

[breezer]

i wasnt complaining, just asking

 

[tim00]

Wardster,
The builders suggestions dont make structural sense; how can you tie-in to a failing surface? What if the sideways pressure continues, both walls will buckle. Pouring an in-fill of concrete is useless.
I'd suggest that the subsidence of the old path could have been caused by a leaking drain or water service - this needs checking out eg. where does the house sewer run, where are your manholes or inspection chambers, does the water service arrive in the cellar (is it lead)? Quiz the neighbours.

 

[Wardster]

Thanks for all replies ;
As mentioned, I have learnt from the neighbours that the pathway between the two houses used to be in poor condition where the problem in the cellar is.
If the concrete was broken up and in poor condition, and allowing water run off from the garden to come down the pathway, then some of this water (which used to pool in the damaged area) would seep into the ground therefore possibly causing expansion of the underlying soil.
The ultimate result of this would therefore be the possible cause of the cellar wall bulge.
A while ago however, this pathway was repaired and a half moon style drain installed to take away any excess water. A dampness test into the bulging wall shows no adverse amounts of damp.
So, would would you suggest is the best course of action if building a supporting wall is not the answer??

 

[tim00]

If your info. is correct then you now have a bulged cellar wall.
The best procedure would be to support and prop the ( gable?) wall above the bulge and demolish the old bulged wall and rebuild.
This is professional work.