Cracking in Buildings

This is the business end of one of our four tension rigs. These are used to proof test remedial wall ties, lateral restraints and stitching anchors. The model shown can pull up to 30 KN (three metric tonnes). We tend to use 5KN gauges, as these are more accurate at the lower tensions required for wall ties. Higher gauges are available for civil jobs. This is one of our standard images which we take on all jobs – Ryan recorded this one on a domestic site in Leeds.

Technician Stuart is inserting a 4M long Cintec stitching anchor into a diamond cored hole he’s drilled into this York mill, being developed by our client use. The anchor is grouted with Prestec cementitious grout, at 3 Bar until finally fixed. 18 Cintec ties were used on this project. Cintec anchors come in a bewildering array of types and body sizes and it is a truly bespoke system, with remarkable performance, especially in weak substrates – call Bryan for advice.

This building, near the parish church, Leeds, required many metres of Helibeam helical re-enforcement. Movement was caused by the poor slenderness ratio of the piers between the windows and the design of the roof, which encouraged roof spread. Helibeam, combined with some strapping and triangulation completed the repairs economically, with no visible evidence to show for it.

Seen through Bryan’s boroscope, this tie is so rusty it has parted company from the outer leaf of brick. A more common sight than in the past <em>“Since Brick-Tie were established in 1986 the ties present in pre war houses have aged by a further 30% or more, yet we still see some RICS members ignoring or downplaying the problem”</em> No wonder more houses are cracking up and collapses are increasing..

Not all wall tie failure is due to corrosion. Poor workmanship is not a new phenomenon – in fact, it may surprise people but quality in new build houses has never been higher. Nevertheless, we do find this type of defect, even on new domestic and commercial sites. Here, the tie has only 10mm or so embedment in the outer leaf – it should have at least 60mm, in order to work properly. Bryan specified a supplementary installation of Helifix RetroTies; friction fixed into the inner leaf and then tension tested to 1.2Kn before resin bonding in the external leaf and making good.

Cracking in Buildings

Since starting Brick-Tie limited (mow better known as Brick-Tie Preservation) in 1986, we’ve worked on hundreds of repair projects. Working alongside some of Yorkshire’s best known Architects, Structural Engineers and Surveyors, we’ve repaired churches, monuments, terraced houses, listed buildings and more semi’s than Bryan cares to remember.

Problems with corroded or inadequate wall ties, lack of lateral restraint, settlement and poor or even missing lintel support has led to quite a few interesting jobs. Crack stitching, Cintec anchors, tie bars and Helibeams are our stock in trade.

There’s more though – we have hands on experience with resin repairs and injection, plastic stone repair, expansion joint formation, concrete repairs, pre-tensioned tie bar manufacture and installation. All types of remedial wall tie and lateral restraint and testing too – we have four independently calibrated tension testing rigs; essential and used to monitor site performance. Surprisingly, many of our competitors don’t even own one.

Despite our experience and expertise, we believe that in most cases independent professionals should be the first port of call when buildings crack. This is because cracking can be a simple or complicated matter and may have insurance implications. So it is essential for owners to go through the right procedures.

Once a survey is complete and the cause of cracking is known, we have all the skills needed to rectify virtually any structural defect.

We are Cintec and Helifix approved contractors. These two established and proven systems cover all masonry stitching and re-enforcement situations. We’ve used them so much, over such a long time, that our practical experience is firmly embedded, we know what they can do – and perhaps more importantly what they can’t do too.

This is why many architects, building surveyors and even structural engineers often come to Brick-Tie Preservation for advice, on what can be practically achieved using these systems. Our managing director; Bryan Hindle is well known for being down to earth and realistic when it comes to building repair. He’s even asked to keep surveyors up to date on the latest techniques, holding seminars and presentations to groups of professional who are eager to learn.

Old stone mills, schools, houses, offices and listed buildings get the same careful appraisal by Bryan, so that the work is credible, functional, sympathetic to the structure and cost effective too. If we think you should consider something else instead, we’ll say so; whether we can supply the solution ourselves is not important– the end result is.

Our technicians are our biggest asset; where building repair is concerned good specification is nothing without good on-site application. We are the only company in Yorkshire with a majority of technicians qualified to NVQ level 2 in wall tie installation. Add many training courses and supplier accreditations to this, mix-in an honest and practical ‘can do’ attitude and you have perfect site staff - We think our guys are just that – have a look at our domestic and commercial testimonials, which speak for themselves.

Our demanding and valued clients include Selby, Leeds, Harrogate and York councils, plus numerous professional bodies, like the Churches Conservation Trust, plus many dioceses, and housing associations.

Most of the structural work we do is guaranteed – 20 years for wall ties and lateral restraint and 12 years for masonry beaming and remedial lintel support. All our guarantees come with GPI or Helifix/Cintec insurance cover, which is independent of BT Preservation, so that clients are covered, even in the unlikely event of our company failure.

The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme