July 16, 20215 yr We have a crack in one of the walls in our barn conversion. HID wanted a brick stitching kit, but looking at these they are expensive for one crack. The ScrewFix offering is £210 Does anyone have any ideas on alternatives, TIA
July 16, 20215 yr Author 5 minutes ago, tonyshouse said: Helifix mortared or resin mortared in ? I don't know, what is the difference. I was just asked by HID to cost it out. The SF one is Helifix Edited July 16, 20215 yr by LSB
July 18, 20215 yr Can we see a photograph? I have often wondered why these specialist kits are so expensive. On the face of it, the contents are £100, on sale for £200. suppose it has been thought out and refined, and made just right for a brick mortar bed, so the company deserves some profit and credit. Also gives confidence compared to buying your own bits. For a barn there will be different parameters. Brick or stone? My own thoughts for a stone barn, are to buy stainless steel threaded rod (v cheap mail order) , possibly add some nuts where bed thickness allows, bend to suit the wall gaps, then bed in with cement mortar. Then finish off with lime mortar. probably more adjustable to the beds, and £30 instead of £200. As i am looking at this kit x 8 it is more significant. If you use helifix, HID will be more relaxed. If you use something else there will be no credit if it works well. £170 plays against poss grief.
July 18, 20215 yr Author Although it is a barn we are converting it is a modern one (60's) and constructed of single skin hollow blocks. Here are pictures First one was large, but following mortar lines. We cleaned out the gaps, but there was already lots of mortar missing. This is now repaired. This is the one that HID thinks needs stitching as taking down and rebuilding will be a lot of work. This does seem to stop at the floor and not affect the foundations. This is another one that follows the block line, but the mortar is still in situ so not sure what to do . HID does understand your comment and thinks it may work. But, he's not sure what to do about this one. We have a couple of others like this. As you can see on the larger crack picture the foundations are not much to write home about. As a class Q barn conversion we can just leave the walls and foundations, in fact we are not allowed to remove any external walls. But, the replacement roof will be much heavier that the one that we took off. We have to use the same covering (metal sheets), but we will be adding insultation etc. so we need to be sure that the walls can take the strain. The SE hasn't been out yet as we are still preparing the site for him to come and look to do the diagrams to create the BC drawings.
July 19, 20215 yr Looks like it might need to underpinned, cheaper to start again with real foundations and new walls
July 19, 20215 yr S’Fix kit is expensive. Buy a pack of these Buy a couple of tubes of this Clean all the cracks with a diamond disk on a small grinder, wash and brush out the cracks then put the helical bar in the crack. Try not to cut the bars if possible and you need every other bed repaired. Set them all up then inject the resin as you only get one chance at it. Don’t worry about filling the whole gap with resin, good depth around the bars and when it’s gone off just point the cracks with a 4:1 mortar.
July 19, 20215 yr The walls are of no historic significance, not listed and therefore not worth the expense and effort to stitch. The cracks look like heave or foundation failure so i would definitely be taking down, rectify the problem and re-build.
July 19, 20215 yr 16 minutes ago, markc said: i would definitely be taking down, rectify the problem and re-build. Not an option if a Part Q conversion unfortunately - though might depend on how quickly you can get the walls back up again before planning take an interest! Have you investigated getting full planning now that you have the Part Q?
July 19, 20215 yr 18 minutes ago, Tom said: Not an option if a Part Q conversion unfortunately - though might depend on how quickly you can get the walls back up again before planning take an interest! Have you investigated getting full planning now that you have the Part Q? I didnt mean take the building down, just the small area that is affected. I have never come across a part Q conversion that didnt allow making good or making safe small areas. In the past we have replaced badly rusted columns, damaged roof trusses and broken back foundations without any problems.
July 19, 20215 yr I guess it's down to how zealous the planners are - and each LA seems to take a slightly different view. You aren't allowed to add anything structural - and certainly they could argue that if you have to rebuild a wall to make it structurally sound then it isn't possible to be "converted" within the bounds of Part Q.
July 19, 20215 yr Author I did a pre-app re knock down and rebuild and was told that as it is in the countryside that would count as a new house and there was no chance of that as I don't have the funds for a 'special' house. They only reluctantly gave Class Q because the SE said it could be converted. There is a place near here where the idiot knocked down everything and the planner spotted when driving past and he lost his planning and his barn. He sold up and moved on shortly afterwards. Our barn has a footpath running along the wall with the cracks and as it is at the top of a hill you can spot it from the road. All my neighbours support us, but who knows who is walking / driving past and is jealous. Edited July 19, 20215 yr by LSB
July 19, 20215 yr Author 13 hours ago, PeterW said: Buy a pack of these This link just goes back to this forum thread, could you possibly send me this link again.
July 19, 20215 yr 19 minutes ago, LSB said: This link just goes back to this forum thread, could you possibly send me this link again. Pack of 10 x 6mm x 1 Metre Stainless Steel HELICAL Bars for Repairing Masonry Walls https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FGVP59R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_BMPR7KH25NRTD50ME5F5
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