external wall is out of plumb?

[bobasd]

legepe, you should really get a structural engineer on the job to give you a building schedule and some drawings. it wont be cheap but theres structural issuesthere that could bite you as a diy .

for instance theres brickwork failure over failure on the flank wall.
and between the outriggers you only have nine inches of party wall brickwork supportfor a whole elevation and that already has historic movement. only one sagging stone sill remains out of four. which might mean the other three sills cracked under structural pressure.
the four frame openings would previous had double hung boxes leaving the openings well fragile with the present frame installs.

iI dont know your skills butt its definitely not diywork. no matter who does the job isolate the gas at the meter for the durration, collapsing is one thing exploding an burning is another

 

[legepe]

Thanks for your post bobasd... Im real sorry but i don't understand a lot of your terminology though ie flank wall, outriggers, frame openings, etc... Im just a diyer...! I will get a structural engineer to look over the property though...

 

[^woody^]

Righty then, it looks like the lintel has gone and the wall above dropped a bit. Also looks like a new patch of bricks have been put in in the past?

House walls tend to fall down, not out. But some lintel defects can allow a bit of wall rotation just above it.

Anyhow if that is the case (ie if the lintel is the cause) then you just need it replacing. It may not need an engineer involved if its a simple thing as a lintel.

If there is spreading of the walls (measure width internally in upper and lower rooms at several places, then yes it will be a job for an engineer to see what the cause is - roof or foundations or a bit of both.

 

[legepe]

Maybe its difficult to see on pics but the wall is bulged out around 2.3m from floor level then goes the opposite way up to the roof... but i will do some measuring tmrw internally... Thanks woody

 

[Doggit]

As you can see the problem, measuring the room is just going to confirm the problem.

 

[legepe]

Thanks guys, took the measurements - and the differences between top of wall and bottom are: kitchen 57mm. Bedroom above kitchen 33mm. Extension 27mm. The bedroom has been drylined on one wall and the opposite wall is out of plumb around 22mm so it would make that wall 55mm out of plumb. do you think this enough to make it a problem? Should I get a structural surveyor?

 

[Doggit]

You want at least a good builder, and then possibly an SE. Although you're a good DIYer, you may not be up to this job, so you'll need a builder at some stage, and that might save the cost of an SE until he's absolutely necessary.

 

[legepe]

Thanks guys, I got a builder down like you advised and they said the walls are not a problem in that theyre not going to fall down... they said you cannot expect anything level on these types of houses.. I guess due to their age and how they were built initially. They think that the wall will not move anymore once a lintel has been put in and guttering sorted out, even 2.5" out of plumb seems a lot to me. They said i should get the drains checked as if there is problems with them the water could be slowly washing away the clay around the foundations and it could be the cause..

 

[Doggit]

I'd get a second (and possibly third) opinion. By virtue of the width it's moved apart, I'd at least expect a couple of ties to be put in place across the widest part.

 

[legepe]

I will get more opinions thanks however, Im contemplating making application for building regs to get involved.. not so much because of the wall problem but I want to concrete the whole floor inside the property and dont want any comeback... however, I am very nervous about doing this because Im expecting them to make me insulate all the external walls and other things, etc... I know that insulation makes things warmer but Im guessing these types of houses where meant to be aired and if you put barriers like king-span on all the walls i believe there could be negative effects also. not only that im afraid of what costs would be involved??

 

[Doggit]

Now why do you want to concrete the whole floor; yes it can stop any wooden floor rot issues, but you've then got to insulate it, and all sort of other issues. You can insulate the walls outside, and the house will stay warmer, and you can install a PIV unit in the loft to push moisture out. Now if the EWI guys are good, they could render the sloping wall, and then put the insulation on to cover the issues.

 

[legepe]

It just seems the best/easiest/fastest way to get a floor down... I would prefer to chip board the top layer after 100mm polystyrene insulation rather than screed it and any pipes or cables can be run through the insulation... I know it will be a bit more expensive v wood floor on sleeper walls, but i would have a solid floor..
I like your idea with render... but the cost of having to insulate everything with kingspan... could get way too expensive for me...

 

[Doggit]

You either insulate the inside with Kinspan etc, or the outside with fire etardant expanded polystyrene. Not sure what you're going to do with the property long term, but selling it with the lean on the wall will drop the price, and adding the insulation will make the bills cheaper, and make the house more saleable. Well worth thinking about. It's not difficult to do, and apart from the top layers, most of it's diyable.

Concreteing the floor will be expensive, and time conuming. Joists with 50mm polystyrene wedged in, and the 22mm P5 Chipboard will work out cheaper and quicker; just make sure the airbricks are clear, and you'll be fine.