Wall between integral garage and house, what is its construction?

[LJG7777]

Hi all,

I'm (still) planning on putting a door from my house to my garage but am worried about what exists in the wall. I haven't found any electrical currents with my detector but it is picking up a constant reading of metal throughout. I'm guessing that this is the insulation boards that have the foil outer (what else might give a constant reading across the whole wall?)

The wall in its entirety seems to be 13" thick. The blocks in the garage are 620x210mm (size of the block face) however I've got no idea of the thickness or how the wall is constructed. My novice thought was that it was blockwork with a stud timber frame stuffed with insulation boards, then plasterboard (a guess based on other walls) however I think it may be blockwork/insulation/blockwork/plaster. Does anyone know what the standard construction for this wall would be for a new build?

I've asked Barratts and they said "The homeowner will have to carry out their own investigation, however the make-up of the wall should be blockwork with insulation to the habitable side" - either the blockwork or the insulation is very thick and this goes against my theory of blockwork/insulation/blockwork.

Any info would be helpful as I don't want to wade into the wall thinking I've got a nice thick block to cut into only to find it isn't and I've gone through a pipe!

Also, can anyone recommend any decent builders in the Coventry area in case I bottle it?! No one seems to get back to me

Thanks.

 

[acurachris]

The wall in its entirety seems to be 13" thick

Sounds like a standard brick/block cavity wall to me: "100mm Block/100mm cavity/100mm block". Could it be the wall ties you are picking up as metal?

Hard to say without seeing the house etc. Is there anything above the garage? Is the dividing wall supporting the external wall of the first floor? Picture of the front of the house could help, or a plan of upper floor.

It's unlikely that any pipes are being run through the cavity, that would be a major bodge for servicing and would most likely contravene building regs!

If you've got a long drill bit, i'd be tempted to drill a hole through the middle of a brick, you'll get resistance for the 100mm then you should be able to feel the cavity/insulation with the drill bit and gauge how much the bit goes in until it hits the next hard surface.

 

[rsgaz]

I've asked Barratts

Find out where Barratt are now building similar size/style/cost properties in your vicinity and go and have a look at some incomplete ones.

 

[LJG7777]

Sounds like a standard brick/block cavity wall to me: "100mm Block/100mm cavity/100mm block". Could it be the wall ties you are picking up as metal?

Hard to say without seeing the house etc. Is there anything above the garage? Is the dividing wall supporting the external wall of the first floor? Picture of the front of the house could help, or a plan of upper floor.

Hi Acurachris, please see attached floor plans. I've contacted Barratts again also, this is a really easy question for them to answer, they just seem to be as unhelpful as possible!

With regards to the sensor reading possibly being wall ties, I'm unsure. The reading is constant throughout the wall and at a constant depth, this is why I thought it could be one continuous foil backed insulation board. Just also thought, it could be the metal mesh used for plastering.

 

[LJG7777]

Find out where Barratt are now building similar size/style/cost properties in your vicinity and go and have a look at some incomplete ones.

Thanks. I've contacted Barratts again virtually begging them to tell me. It really isn't a hard question for them to answer is it? They're just being arsey. I've had a quick look online at other local sites but can't see the same house type. Most also don't seem to have the integral garage.

 

[rsgaz]

it could be the metal mesh used for plastering.

That's usually only on internal/external corners or on a curved surface, like the underside of a staircase that turns 90 degrees.

Can you find any screw heads under the plaster with a neodymium magnet? If you do, it is probably foil backed, foam insulated plasterboard onto a 'timber framed' inner leaf, if you don't is it the same type of boards, but 'dot n dabbed' onto a block wall.

In both cases - then a cavity, then the blocks in the garage.

 

[^woody^]

Does anyone know what the standard construction for this wall would be for a new build?

There is no standard construction. Its masonry or its timber frame, and the same company can do either.

You wont have pipes or cables hidden within walls. They will be behind plaster on the surface of the walls, and will only be there is there is an electric/gas/water appliance or socket on the face of the wall in that specific area.

If you have gabled wall look in the loft. If you have an EPC, look at that.

You're making a doorway anyway, so just cut out a block and have a look. It will be a 100mm block on the garage side.

 

[LJG7777]

If the wall is 100mm block/100mm cavity/100mm block would I use one 300mm wide lintel (if they exist) or do I install 2 x 100mm lintels?

Thanks.

 

[stuart45]

Looking at the plans I would say it's cavity wall at the end of the wall, but not where you want the door.

 

[LJG7777]

Hi guys,

my plans have changed. I'm moving the location of the door. With this in mind, is there anything different I should be doing considering how close the new doorway will be to the corner (see pics)? The wall directly above seems to be a stud wall so the block wall doesn't continue upwards (I'm hoping there isn't a load bearing issue being as it's so close to a corner).

The lintel will have a 15mm bearing on each side. Also I'm going to use acrows with strongboys but unsure of the placement. What would you suggest? I'm thinking two underneath the one central block of the hole however the red line in the pic shows where there are some settling cracks (I can't get a £1 coin in them), should one strongboy maybe hold up the end of the block on that side? Would I also possibly need a prop for the ceiling or is this overkill?

I think this wall could be block/cavity/timberframe as the wall itself is only around 26mm thick (could it be block/cavity/block but with a small cavity area?). If it does consist of two blockwork walls, do I install two separate 100mm lintels for each wall or source one wide concrete lintel?

All/any info is helpful.