Exterior garden wall: ties and other issues...

Jetfire

We have an external garden wall that runs up to our property but isnt attached to the house so there nothing attaching it to the wall. Should it be? 

Also, we bought our house 2 years ago and had a full survey done on it. They didnt mention any problems with any of the exterior boundary walls. Had a guy round about 6 months ago to look at plastering the wall and found this.

http://i.imgur.com/ugsLmcb.jpg


Told the survey company about it and they are visitng this week. Have they fooked up?

ESBlonde

Ideally not as it won't have a damp proof course if it's just a garden wall. Being attached to the house wall would bypass that DPC and likely cause mould inside and other longer term issues.

ICBM

Damn, thought this was going to be another Apple Hate thread.

Jetfire

Sadly no technology ranting here... im uploading the bigger problems i have woth my wall so you can all have a look at give me some, but  ill update the thread original post

rlw

May not even be covered in the survey other than a comment upon it's condition at the time.

boogieman

The surveyors will probably just say the movement must have occurred after they did the original survey. That looks a fairly serious amount of movement, I'd get on to your insurance company pronto. (Is that part of the house?)

Jetfire

They didnt comment on it at the time but the wall has always been like that...

Paul_C

Is the wall falling away from the house, or the house falling away from the wall ?

Jetfire

So anyone with any actual experience or just full of smart ass comments?

strtdv

A non-attached garden wall won't have the same standard of foundation as a house (it may not have any significant foundation at all), so provided the house doesn't have similar cracks I wouldn't lose sleep over it

Jetfire

The house is 1920s and the survey has saod theres no problems there just this wall. 

Sambostar

Erm, is it a retaining wall in any part of it's height?  Because it doesn't look like the footing has failed as the crack stop just before ground level.  Either which way, just rip it down and do it properly, you'll be done in a weekend

Sambostar

If it's not a retaining wall and the crack goes beyond ground level, it's differentlial settlement and the footing is shite, either frost heave of settlement

If it's a long wall and the mortar mix had too much cement in it it will crack along the quoin like that from thermal movement.

If it's a retaining wall in any part, higher ground level on one side, then you need to dig out behing the wall, whack a load of terram between it and the soil and feel the gap with 10mm shingle and add weep holes to the wall, otherwise it will blow apart.

It just looks like a shitty wall, just rebuild it next weekend.

Jetfire

I dont think it goes to the foundation but ill check and go from there 

Dominic

@Sambostar - all absolutely spot-on and text book correct
Only, no need to rebuild ......allow approx 2 litre tub of epoxy  subsidence grout repair and ram pack the opening join on the abuttment - if you want to do a 101% job grind out some chases and install helical bar stitches at 20cm centres 
 You can even buy a complete helical bar and epoxy resin kit from screwfix for £155 although you will need a litre of extra epoxy resin ..........if it is an engineered or semi engineered retaining  wall with a hydrostatic head of water behind it you will need to do more serious work ( see Sambostar comment ) but I doubt it is otherwise there would be evidence of water penetration ie algae etc on the mortar joints and the exterior face of the blocks .
 there is no big issue here.

Sambostar

The thing might be that it has no coping, so temporary rain penetration before a frost has caused it to blow out, there is a fair bit on damp in the mortar courses there, you might want to address that as well, especially if you are going to render it or put some decent waterproof render on top.  You'd be amazed what freezing water can do to 4mm box section or what the sun can do to metal handrails and corten steel railway tracks without an expansion joint.  You have to use common sense and work with nature.

For £155 I'd rebuild it personally, at least repair it from the footing up, but don't know the extent of the wall.

Jetfire

If im honest, i have no intention of rebuilding anything as i dont possess the skills, time or funds to be doing this. So, the survey company are coming back out to view it, the nieghbours tennants (a local housing association) are checking if they own it or not and im waiting to see what the out come of that is. What i do know and havent mentioned is the electric cable for next doors garage is attached to this wall...

Sambostar

Well.....then......I can only say.....

that...

You have failed as a man.

JohnnyPlectrum

The causes of cracks in masonry are many fold and that picture is too localised to tell a full story.
being unconnected to the house is not an issue however, most boundary walls are freestanding or spanning between piers.
The crack can be easily repaired but the crack is the symptom not the cause.
It looks like quite a low spec construction so there are plenty of things to consider but usually things exhibiting fresh patterns of defects long after construction usually end up being caused by weathering / rainwater / changes in groundwater etc, mechanical damage or the old favourite, drains.
I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

sev112

Sambostar said:

The thing might be that it has no coping, so temporary rain penetration before a frost has caused it to blow out, there is a fair bit on damp in the mortar courses there, you might want to address that as well, especially if you are going to render it or put some decent waterproof render on top.  You'd be amazed what freezing water can do to 4mm box section or what the sun can do to metal handrails and corten steel railway tracks without an expansion joint.  You have to use common sense and work with nature.

This was my initial thought - I investigated 2 walls in the past couple of years with exactly this issue - rainwater seepage through poor/ damaged / missing coping stones, and then frost heave which rotates the outer face/end.  Exacerbated by no ties.


although a wider photo showing more of the wall would help to see if it is settlement going on to the right hand side, and a picture of the top would of help.

Tone71

Either knock it down, put a decent footing in (if required) and rebuild, or re-point it, paint it and plug and screw a wall tie to stop further movement with these or similar:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-roll-edge-restraint-strap-bend-500-x-100mm-5-pack/85398?kpid=85398&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product Listing Ads-_-Sales Tracking-_-sales tracking url&gclid=CIC_7rz09tECFUmNGwod1XYL0Q

I`d go for the latter option as you`ll be done in an hour.