Cavity wall insulation on very old house?

[walls29]

This is really puzzling me, the other day I had some guys knocking at my door saying they were interested in doing me some free cavity wall insulation. I asked how could they, on my kind of house, and they said my neighbour had it done.

I live in a terraced house that was built in 1873, the brick pattern suggests it is solid walled (long and short brick pattern, also width of wall), I even phoned the energy saving trust who informed me that given the age, along with the brick pattern, the house is highly unlikely to have cavities that could be insulated.

Out of interest I asked my neighbour, expecting him to agree with this assessment, but he said it was already done on his house when he moved in, so apparently what looks like a solid walled house has some kind of cavity wall insulation...

I'm a bit baffled as presumably the house next door was built at the same time, in the same style, it even has a stone set in the wall saying 1873 so has not been rebuilt, I just don't understand how a solid walled victorian terrace could have any kind of cavity wall insulation?!

This is just really puzzling me so I thought I would come and ask here, I also have a couple of other issues so will check around the boards.

 

[Blagard]

I would suggest it is not impossible that your neighbours previous owners were conned and simply reported what they had paid for.

Measuring the wall as you have done together with the brick bond suggests you are quite right, but in case you measured incorrectly all you need to do is drill a hole through from outside and that will tell you if there is a cavity of any sort. It is of course quite normal to have voids of sorts between the leafs of a solid wall but it will be filled here and there with mortar and brick headers but, certainly no designed cavity

 

[Jackrae]

If the walls are solid then it's a case of stetson hats and snake oil
Cowboy Joe comes along, drills a few holes, farts around for a couple of hours, fills drilled holes with mortar, gets householder to sign off saying job is done, then collect loads of lolly from the energy company which sponsored them, who in turn adds the cost onto our bills.

Or your neighbour was conned if he bought the house by the previous owner telling porkies.

 

[stuart45]

There are some Victorian houses built in Mock Flemish Bond with cavity walls.
What's the thickness of the walls?

 

[walls29]

There are some Victorian houses built in Mock Flemish Bond with cavity walls.
What's the thickness of the walls?

Roughly just under 10 inches.

 

[stuart45]

If that includes the internal plaster it certainly sounds like a solid wall.

 

[walls29]

Thanks for these answers, but I am more baffled than ever now, there is some crossover with this and another thread (about my boiler pressure release valve dripping water outside) but here seems more relevant.

Ok, the issue is my neigbour has an extension which is at right angles to my back wall, for some time water has been coming out of the corner, right at the bottom where the 2 houses meet. I spoke to my neighbour who said he had a leaking toilet, but repeated efforts have not got him to fix it. I spoke to him at the weekend and suggested he take a look as his water was damaging my property or at least leaking on to it, he said he couldn't afford to get it fixed and when I showed him said his toilet was nowhere near there so it must be coming from my property.

Had a plumber out from British Gas today who fixed the boiler drip, but said the water can't possibly be coming out of my house, he suggested the flat roof of the extension next door and then we spotted an overflow pipe that wasn't too far away (making me now suspicious of what my neighbour said about the location of his toilet).

The thing that puzzles me is that the plumber said if I have a leak inside, it can't possibly get through the walls to the outside as there is a cavity in the wall, I said I thought it was solid walled and he said there is a 25mm cavity so I have no idea any more what kind of wall I am supposed to have, I have to take his word for the water as I have plumbing cover and he said there is nothing leaking in my house.

So what does he mean about the cavity in the wall, is what he said true, and any tips on how to get my neighbour to look at his side of the issue (spoke to him 3 times now) would be appreciated!

I have a friend of a friend who is in the building trade so am going to get him to look at it too.

Picture here, if it works:

http://postimg.org/image/dvjm8ahfb/

 

[stuart45]

I thought that it was Flemish Bond from your first post, but it looks like Stretcher Bond in the photo.
There are some solid walls built in Stretcher Bond. In theory the joint down the centre, known as the Wall Joint, should be around 10mm, but the bricklayers would often make it about an inch to get their fingers in the gap when laying the inner skin. Known as a Finger cavity, this was never designed as a proper cavity wall.
When you work on them, you can see that the gap is often half full with mortar. In theory it should be full, but filling can be a bit tricky and make the brickwork belly a bit with wet mortar.

 

[walls29]

Kind of even more baffled now as the brick pattern at the front is definitely a different pattern of bricks am out now but will take a closer look

 

[stuart45]

Probably Flemish at the front, for looks. Stretcher bond is cheaper for the back.

 

[walls29]

Probably Flemish at the front, for looks. Stretcher bond is cheaper for the back.

Ok thanks. Any idea what is causing that water as posted above?

There is a large drainage pipe and overflow pipe almost above where the leak is coming from (on the neighbour's side), I can't see any water coming out of these, but perhaps it only happens when toilet flushed or shower used or whatever it is?

Any leak from these would go straight on to his flat roof, I am not well up on these things but some of the surface seems worn at the edges, could it be the case that either water from the pipes or excess rain from gutters is finding its way onto the roof and then through a crack or gap, down through the wall, and out at the bottom where my wall meets his?

The bloke who looked at it yesterday said the extension wasn't properly flush to his wall, which led to there being a small gap where the water could seep down to and find its way out.

Thanks for any help.

 

[TheVictorian]

Dos that slab slope towards the wall and therefore hold water and damp in that corner? I have experienced something similar in the past and reseating to make the water run away from the house soon sorted it.

 

[walls29]

Dos that slab slope towards the wall and therefore hold water and damp in that corner? I have experienced something similar in the past and reseating to make the water run away from the house soon sorted it.

I will check that out, however sometimes it does this:



I can't tell which way the water is going, but it is sometimes like this on an otherwise dry day