Cavity Wall Tie Replacement

[Bigbray]

Can anybody help? I have just bought an end terrace back-2-back house in need of full refurbishment. I had a homebuyers report done and it stated that the property needed cavity wall ties replacing as there is some bowing to the apex of the gable. Also, the surveyor noticed that the house to the back of mine has already had the wall ties replaced as you can see the filled holes in the render.

I have had a number of quotes ranging from £1500 to £2500 for the work, which seams a bit exsessive, especially on my tight budget.

Does any body know anything about this sort of work? Will it stop the gable from bowing any further?

People have told me this is a favourite with the surveyors and it might not actually need doing? This is not a requirement for my mortgage so I'm undecided whether to have the work done. Can anybody give me some advice?

Cheers in advance.

 

[masona]

See this and look at stebed post.

 

[tim00]

Bigray, 1. Is this price for gable wall only or for the whole property wall-tie replacement?
2. The bowing at the apex of the gable, or pike as it's known in the building trade, is almost certainly NOT due to failure or lack of wall-ties but due to the whole panel of pike brickwork being built up on a course of "snapped headers" - if you look up at a horizontal line from front to rear at gutter height you might see the stretcher bonding break and a row of headers laid the width of the gable. The brickwork above is often unstable and must be taken down and re-built with a double skin of brick and block.
£2000-2500 is a fair price for what can sometimes be a complicated re-build.
Check the gable brickwork below for plumbness, you might also check the roof ridge and planes for sagging and/or spreading before any quotes are obtained.

 

[Bigbray]

Tim00 the quotes were for the gable only, but the house is on a hill and may require scaffolding to carryout the work.

I don't understand what you mean by "snapped headers" and I can't see a row of headers as the whole gable is rendered.

Does the whole top of the gable have to be rebuilt from the gutter height upwards? or can I get away with just rebuilding the top section where the bowing (pike) is clearly visable?

When you say a "double skin of block and brick" does this mean you can't just rebuild the outer skin or does it all have to come down.

Finally, with the house been a back 2 back, only half of the gable is mine. Does this mean I'll have to go see the neighbours or can just get my side of the gable be rebuilt?

Cheers in advance.

 

[tim00]

Usually you have to re-build the whole apex with two skins. Read the thread "Advice in wall ties" oct 22 04.
Rendering is often applied to cover up defects. The whole gable might harbour concealed defects.
You will have to combine with your neighbour: work, consent and costs.
There are too many assumptions to be made from the limited info. and lack of pics so far: ie. shared gable, lack of floor plan, openings in gable, hillside location, gable tie-ins to rafters and joists etc. Is there a cellar?