The subject building was a substantial traditionally built semi-detached Victorian residence.
On, inspection AWT found a scaffold in place and it was apparent that a recent attempt at remedial works had been aborted with temporary timber props and packers left in place.
The handsomely designed front elevation and bay window structure, consisted of a ground floor cant bay of brickwork columns, arches with stone corbels, and supporting columns to each external corner supporting a two-storey square bay window of stone column brickwork with stone quoins above.
To the ground, first and second floors, signs of distortion spreading of the 13½ inch brickwork arches with stone quoins to the front and right side cracking the supported brickwork spandrels above were noted. What appears to be a recently installed bed joint reinforcement and resin injected into the open bed joints was also noted.
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Discussion
The movement to this complicated bay window structure was believed to be progressive due to ineffective, inadequate, restraining which has allowed the brick arch to spread drop and the brickwork above to drop and crack, resulting in the stone columns leaning outwards and becoming unstable.
Solution
Although AWT can make no comment about the suitability/efficiency of either the design or works undertaken as part of the aborted scheme, the first stage of the remedial works that it undertook was to provide temporary support by deploying AWT designed and developed realigning cramping equipment to realign the masonry elements closing the open joints. Thereafter, Action Wall Ties used its specially designed diamond drilling jigs to drill the full width of the bay, through all the different elements, and install stainless steel cords locking the bay together adding tensile strength and forming composite beams together with lateral restraints, finally making good.
For more information, visit www.actionwallties.co.uk
