Spetznaaz Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) Hello, Hopefully this is the right place for this question. So basically we purchased a house (built in the late 60's), had a full structural survey and the walls were described as "good original workmanship" and also a bit contradictory "the pointing is in basic condition" and "the pointing is in poor condition". Fast forward a few months of living here - Turns out our surveyor was useless. Missed Japanese knotweed and numerous other things. After living here and having a good examination of the walls, i would describe them as absolutely terrible original workmanship and borderline needing rebuilding. The joint lines don't match up, bricks are wonky as hell, joint gaps vary from an inch to a few mm, very poor quality bricks, the walls themselves are no where near straight in any direction (whether this was how they were built or wall ties failing i do not know), spalled bricks everywhere and completely loose bricks that can be pulled out (about 3 i've noticed so far). I also noticed on many of them there are tiny white lines / maybe cracks which i'm guessing means they are close to becoming spalled. The reason for the condition of the walls is imo due to a few factors - Failed cavity wall insulation, house is on side of a mountain, poor quality bricks and absolutely no maintenance. So my main question is, from the pictures and my description, do these walls looks structurally sound? As in, are they savable or does it look like the outer leaf needs rebuilding? My plan was to get the insulation removed, replace all the spalled bricks, fix the loose bricks, repoint and then i was wondering about trying some brick stain as i've seen some good result with it. Failing that, rendering would be the next thing i'd consider. My other question is, is there a surveyor who just deals with walls? I know you get wall tie surveyors (which we may need to do) but who's the expert who can comment on the structural condition of a wall? The CIGA guy who came to look at the cavity wall insulation described it as one of the worst walls he's ever seen and couldn't believe we purchased the house.. but then a random bricklayer said they were okay and solid so i don't know what to believe. Many Thanks! Edit - I can't seem to embed the photos, tried everything i can think of so will just have to put the links. https://ibb.co/sH629sr https://ibb.co/yFw3JGM https://ibb.co/ZWnBptD https://ibb.co/Vjkcg8s https://ibb.co/VmL7YjZ https://ibb.co/sH18wvz https://ibb.co/1RkVk3S https://ibb.co/tZmh3gv https://ibb.co/pyzsNqZ https://ibb.co/PQ4PbgK https://ibb.co/Z8ST2QM https://ibb.co/gdzbsJb https://ibb.co/9GLJsHd https://ibb.co/TH4FN57 https://ibb.co/4NtS69B https://ibb.co/wpWFM8n https://ibb.co/NKJ2XC0 https://ibb.co/vm9Rvdv https://ibb.co/cgyPmp9 https://ibb.co/Z8T7JgY https://ibb.co/Q8fmg1V https://ibb.co/84w5Qxb https://ibb.co/SfwcQGx https://ibb.co/DbsrZzM https://ibb.co/987k5FP https://ibb.co/6wHCSTY https://ibb.co/82R48x0 https://ibb.co/J25MTwQ https://ibb.co/gdDvr55 Edited July 11, 2022 by Spetznaaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Probably the pictures are too large and too many for the forum software? That is never going to be a pretty house, it probably was not when it was new, and I doubt it is going to fall down. It does not take a surveyor to tell you the workmanship is basic and it would benefit from repointing and some spalled bricks replacing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 I read you description before looking at the picture ProDave has copied. Doesn't look anything like as bad as i was expecting. Can you attach a few pics of the main concerns. Low resolution, not too many at this stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 (edited) These surveys are not worth the paper they are written on. My mate bought a bungalow, I viewed it and gave him my opinion on a few faults I found , mortgage co demanded full survey, he only spotted a couple of my “faults”. When moving in the removal guy carrying a heavy box fell through the floor, turned out the whole bungalow floor was full of woodworm and was worst where the double bed was (which was there when I viewed it). Mate tried to claim off survey co but told “we take no responsibility of things we cannot see”, even when threatened with a solicitors letter they declined. I ended up spending two weeks with him renewing the whole ground floor. (But we did insulate it at the same time). Edited July 12, 2022 by joe90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 Got to agree with @saveasteading I would say it’s fairly typical for the era and a bit of TLC will sort the gable out. I would definitely do something with the door header though, no idea what’s going on there 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 Funny how the front wall of the house looks so much better 🤷♂️, perhaps the brickies thought they were building a terraced house 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 59 minutes ago, joe90 said: Funny how the front wall of the house looks so much better 🤷♂️, perhaps the brickies thought they were building a terraced house 🤣 Yes, I was thinking along the same lines but put it down to weather direction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetznaaz Posted July 12, 2022 Author Share Posted July 12, 2022 (edited) Thanks for the replies guys. I will try and see if i can embed a couple photos. 5 hours ago, markc said: Got to agree with @saveasteading I would say it’s fairly typical for the era and a bit of TLC will sort the gable out. I would definitely do something with the door header though, no idea what’s going on there What do you mean by the door header? The vertical bricks above the door? They do that a lot around here, what would you say the issue is with it? 5 hours ago, joe90 said: Funny how the front wall of the house looks so much better 🤷♂️, perhaps the brickies thought they were building a terraced house 🤣 4 hours ago, markc said: Yes, I was thinking along the same lines but put it down to weather direction The front walls are made with a much better quality brick, maybe due to weather direction but i reckon they did it so they looked nice from the front. Got some more photos below: Edited July 12, 2022 by Spetznaaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetznaaz Posted July 12, 2022 Author Share Posted July 12, 2022 (edited) This is one of the worst bits on the rear elevation. I may have to make separate replies for each photo. Edited July 12, 2022 by Spetznaaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetznaaz Posted July 12, 2022 Author Share Posted July 12, 2022 Bricks above the boot lintel not looking too good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 @Spetznaaz yes the vertical bricks above the door. Common detail but Looks like they have been changed to a different brick and by the cut bricks above it looks like it was originally more of an arch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modernista Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 19 hours ago, Spetznaaz said: wondering about trying some brick stain as i've seen some good result with it. Once you've done the general overhaul, a simple coat of black paint and some contrasting cladding can make a difference. I know it's a semi but increasingly I'm seeing funked-up houses one side of a pair or at the end of a terrace. Cheap and easy fix....though not sure if the white upvc is new / being retained (can also be painted as other recent post) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 In terms of structural soundness, the main concern is wall tie failure. There is a high probability they have failed. Usually pointing isn't as big of a concern, but locally it has got to a point where that is allow bricks to work loose. I think I'd be costing up an option for external insulation, once the wall ties are remediated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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