This is a bit off the preservation topic, though it still involves my work. I had a long and busy day surveying today, around Leeds mainly, looking at rising damp, wet rot and wall tie corrosion. The traffic was awful. The following is copy of a letter that came in the post whilst I was […]
Micro-drilling construction timbers. How and why it works.
12 Mar 11 by
Wet Rot. Dry Rot, beetle infestations. All real problems in construction timbers. In most cases diagnosis and estimation of the extent of the problem is easy; a torch and a screwdriver being all the tools needed, by any half-decent timber infestation surveyor. However, when large section timbers, valuable historic members or restricted access is concerned, […]
Cavity wall tie corrosion in Yorkshire (now getting much worse)
16 Feb 11 by
I worked on my first remedial cavity wall tie installation job in the summer of 1984. It was a domestic house in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The detached house was brick, built with black ash mortar. A Structural Engineer had noticed some slight bulging of the wall and suspected wall tie corrosion was at work. Without […]
Capillary active waterproofing? (for concrete).
27 Oct 10 by
Concrete is not generally waterproof. Pores and cracks within will let water through and the age old problem is how to stop it. Most methods involve sticking a layer of something other than concrete on one side of the slab/wall or another. Usually these are bitumen based, with little affinity for damp concrete. Applying them […]
Guaranteed wall tie replacement – oh dear..
18 Sep 10 by
Last week I had the misfortune to be asked to check another wonky remedial wall tie installation. My client lives in Morley, Leeds and had his wall ties replaced about 12 years ago. His house is detached, brick-built, with large areas of external render. It is cavity wall insulated. He wants to decorate the render, […]