Tie Bars and Strapping

[wadsterboy]

Hello - been lurking for a while and got some great advice from here. However, now have a question.

My girlfriend's uncle, a chartered surveyor, gave my house a once over when I bought it.

There was some plaster cracking (about one metre long) in the external wall of the bathroom around the window and both he and the official surveyor said it was historical movement likely to have been caused when the kitchen extension was added downstairs.

However, as a precaution, my gf's uncle recommended that I get some metal straps and 'strap' the floor joists to the wall to stop any further movement in the future.

I have done loads of searching on the Internet and cannot find any reference to this type of 'strapping' - except for this, which looks bang on what I need:

http://www.falconstructural.co.uk/pdfs/Tie_Bar_and_Straps.pdf

But can I get this sort of thing from Jewson / Selco etc.... and is there another name it goes by? Any advice on doing this type of job yourself?

Alex

 

[Bowness72]

Looks like heavy duty stuff. You can get the more usual type of straps at wickes and b & q. They will be near the joist hangers etc.
There are also some on screwfix. Do a search for restraint straps

 

[Shytalkz]

This potentially doesn't make sense. Orientation of cracks? Location?

 

[^woody^]

You would only strap the wall to the floor to give lateral support - ie to stop the wall going outwards.

If the cracks relate to a GF kitchen extension, then presumably the wall has moved downwards.

So why strap it? I can't see why he has said this, there is no point. Is he a quantity surveyor , by chance?

If it is historic movement then its not happening now, so just repair any cracked plaster and incorporate some fine mesh to stop it cracking again. And repoint the exterior crack

 

[Bowness72]

Some photos would help

 

[wadsterboy]

Hi chaps

Thanks for your responses. Yes, the movement in the past does seem to have been downwards, as the floor slopes downwards noticeably when you walk into the bathroom (and the ceiling downstairs is bowed).

There is no external crack on the outside that I can see - see the following pix:

http://www.jawaddington.co.uk/cracks1.jpg
http://www.jawaddington.co.uk/cracks2.jpg
http://www.jawaddington.co.uk/cracks3.jpg
http://www.jawaddington.co.uk/cracks4.jpg

Most cracking is around the window, as you could see. Problem with the lintel? Thanks in advance.

Alex

PS - Colour scheme not mine!

 

[^woody^]

Just replaster with some mesh.

Ignore the strap advice

 

[Shytalkz]

^exactly as Woodster says^

 

[chessspy]

yes also.
the strapping thing isn't going to help.
there is clearly a movement problem, monitor it to see if it gets worse, over a year or so.
If it does, replaster and sell quick. (only kidding)
If it gets worse, then call in someone competant to sort it, not the half wits you have been taking advice from.

 

[Shytalkz]

If it gets worse, then call in someone competant to sort it, not the half wits you have been taking advice from.

- chartered surveyors, what else can you expect, Woody (on occasions!) excepted.

 

[chessspy]

chartered surveyors, are as bad as The Architect of Confusion.

 

[^woody^]

I'm not sure whether it's better to be excepted or accepted

 

[wadsterboy]

Thanks chaps for this sound advice. The cracking hasn't got any worse over the year I've had the house, and it is prob 20 years since the bathroom was decorated, so it seems to be historic and not getting worse.

Regarding the fine mesh, should I just repair any damaged brickwork and then cover just the affected areas with fine mesh or the entire wall? How would you fix the mesh to the brickwork?

Best wishes...

Alex

 

[^woody^]

Plaster scrim tape or hessian, or a bit of fine galvanised mesh dabbed onto the wall across the crack with a bit of plaster and then plastered over.

Aim for something like 75mm each side of the crack (equivalent to 150mm wide mesh) and this should follow the line of the crack.

It just stops any slight movement or contraction of plaster across the crack

But fill any wide cracks in the wall first - a bit of runny mortar forced into it will do