Ask The Trades - Print Page

Ask The Trades
https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Building Questions >> Suspected wall tie failure https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1414077515 Message started by JimmyS on Oct 23^rd, 2014, 4:18pm

Title: Suspected wall tie failure
Post by JimmyS on Oct 23^rd, 2014, 4:18pm

I all, I hope this is an appropriate question for this forum, my apologies if its not.

I imagine you've heard it a million times but the survey on the house I am hoping to buy has flagged up a suspected wall tie failure on the end gable wall and so now we have to decide how to proceed. The vendor will be paying but I am getting involved to make sure that its done properly and I don't just find the problem on my plate in a couple of years.

Now, while he admits that he's not an expert, the surveyor believes that a specialist is needed and that the whole outer wall will need to come down and be rebuilt. On the other hand, I have been doing a lot of research on the issue and it seems that a qualified builder can replace the ties and it can be done without a full rebuild of the wall.

I think the full rebuild will be so expensive that the vendor will just pull out of the deal and I'm wondering if the surveyors advice is just way over the top and tailored towards covering his back (he's seemed perfectly good and honest but he understandably has his own position as a surveyor).

Given that the vendor is not quibbling about the fact that the work is needed and that they are willing to pay I am feeling inclined to just let them get in a builder to replace the ties and just make sure that he is reputable etc. But am I mad for paying for a survey and then ignoring the advice given from it? I don't just want to be flippant and then find I have a mess on my hands in a few years time but I also don't want to overreact to the survey and become 'Buyerziller' making unreasonable demands.

Given that there is no actual damage to the wall, is just a wall tie replacement enough to solve the problem?

Any advice that anyone has would be incredibly appreciated.

Thanks!

Title: Re: Suspected wall tie failure
Post by CWatters on Oct 23^rd, 2014, 5:53pm

Ask him why he thinks the gable need to be rebuilt rather than just the ties replaced. Did he say there is no "actual damage" or is that just your observation? Perhaps he's been up a ladder and seen cracks or is concerned how far the outer leaf is leaning out or ? Something must have alerted him to the wall tie issue.

If the wall ties have failed in one place there is a reasonable chance that they have failed elsewhere.

Title: Re: Suspected wall tie failure
Post by TIMBA-WOLF on Oct 23^rd, 2014, 10:46pm

JimmyS, try this link, it will give you a lot of info... the wall DOES NOT have to be re-built, we have in the past used both the helical and resin fix systems....

http://www.twistfix.co.uk/how-to-replace-wall-ties

oh yeah, and I find that surveyors do generally know the trade at the time of being qualified, but they don't ever keep up with the latest regs and tech...