Single Brick Walls - advice please
Dan
I'm in the process of buying a Victorian end-of-terrace property and so have
been reading this group with interest for some time. I've just got my
valuation report back and it mentioned the following:
"Some of the walls are are only of single brick thickness" - This applies to
the end of the kitchen (about 4-6 sq m).
Is this a major problem and if so what would be involved in remedying it and
what would be the rough cost? I'm getting a builder in to have a look, but
I'd like to have a good idea of what I'm talking about beforehand!
Many thanks in advance
Dan
Asher Hoskins
My house has several single brick thick walls (it's an 1870's terrace:
two-up/two-down with cavity/solid walls, and a two room, two storey
single brick walled bit on the back (original, not an extension)), these
were easily dealt with by dry-lining the walls: 2x1" studding fixed to
the walls about 12-18" (IIRC) apart with plasterboard nailed to them.
You might want to increase the studding size so that you can fit some
insulation underneath the plasterboard but either way it's a very cheap
modification, requiring only small rough-sawn timber and plasterboard
(you obviously need to remount skirting boards on top of the plasterboard
and modify window/door surrounds). Some people say that the plasterboard
should then be skimmed with plaster but I've found that just taping the
joints and then putting thick lining paper over the board hides things
just as well.
If you're dry lining a bathroom you can get special waterproof board
(high-density foam with a cement+matting layer on each side) for any
bits that are likely to get wet from a tile supplier. It's rather more
expensive than plasterboard though.
Asher.
--
asher http://domestic1.sjc.ox.ac.uk/~ahoskins/
asher AT crumbly DOT
[life in plastic, it's fantastic!] freeserve DOT co DOT uk
Nozza
writes:
>"Some of the walls are are only of single brick thickness" - This applies to
>the end of the kitchen (about 4-6 sq m).
Internal or external wall?
Noz
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Dan
news:prrpvtkltoklua4gk...@4ax.com...> Internal or external wall?
>
External, at the rear of the property and now exposed to the worst of the
elements.
Dan
Oh and it's only a single storey.
"Dan" <dan_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3bfcf42b$1...@news.nwl.ac.uk...
dg
What do they mean "single brick"?
Walls are normally stated in multiples of 1/2 bricks (e.g. 4.5" (110mm) or
9" (215mm)).
A reference to a single brick thickness is vague and could be either.
There is no problem as such solely based on the thickness of the wall, but
the thicker the wall the better for resisting moisture penetration and
increased thermal efficiency. Typical upgrades are render externally, or dry
line internally
dg
Peter Taylor
This is VERY confusing Dan. To a bricklayer, quantity surveyor, building
surveyor (like me) or an architect, (in fact anyone in the building industry) a
"one-brick wall", commonly abbreviated to 1B, is about 225mm or 9" thick. A
"half-brick wall" or ½B is 112mm or 4½" thick. So I would interpret the term
"single brick wall" in your report as meaning 9" thick. I take it, though, that
we are talking about a ½B wall!
The moral is this (and I wish it was possible to shout this message at everybody
buying property):
DO NOT RELY ON MORTGAGE VALUATIONS FOR ACCURATE ADVICE ON THE CONDITION OF YOUR
HOUSE. They are not meant for this purpose and are often done by people who
simply don't know the first thing about building.
Peter
(PS Sorry for shouting - give me a while to cool down and I'll help you with
advice on improving the construction or whether or not to go ahead with buying
if you want. Mail me.)
Andy Dingley
>I'm in the process of buying a Victorian end-of-terrace property
>"Some of the walls are are only of single brick thickness"
This is entirely normal. The main body of the house will be two
brick leaves with a uselessly small cavity and the extension at the
back (kichen and bathroom / small bedroom) will be a single leaf.
It won't fall down. It will be cold.
If you care, then fix it by dry-lining on the inside and introducing
some insulation. I'd do this for a bedroom, maybe for a bathroom and
not bother for a kitchen.
If you're interested in any of this stuff, THEN GET THIS BOOK !
The Construction Of Houses
Duncan Marshall & Derek Worthing
ISBN 0-728-20333-2
20-something quid
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0728203332/codesmiths/
--
Smert' Spamionam
The Q
> "half-brick wall" or ½B is 112mm or 4½" thick. So I would interpret the term
> "single brick wall" in your report as meaning 9" thick. I take it, though, that
My Entire house is 1B and the north wall (nice view of the north
sea)is exterior plastered, (originally red brick) The plaster is due
for replacement.
I have just discovered, on www.eurobrick.co.uk an exterior insulation
system. Ive no idea if it's suitable, anyone have any knowledge of
this? it may be suitable for the original poster of this thread.
The Q
Robert Laws
> "Dan" <dan_...@hotmail.com> a écrit :
>
> >I'm in the process of buying a Victorian end-of-terrace property
>
> >"Some of the walls are are only of single brick thickness"
>
> This is entirely normal. The main body of the house will be two
> brick leaves with a uselessly small cavity and the extension at the
> back (kichen and bathroom / small bedroom) will be a single leaf.
>
> It won't fall down. It will be cold.
Victorian terrace houses have 4.5" party walls and some have 9" which
gives much better sound insulation.
Robert
Nick Legister
Dan,
I don't normally post to newsgroups, but went through the same issue
yourself over the last year whilst trying to sell my Victorian
mid-terrace with a 'single-brick' extension i.e. rear
kitchen/bathroom.
Practically speaking there was no 'significant' issue other than being
colder and possibly at higher risk to damp, although I had no issue
with these myself. The biggest issue found though was trying to
convince potential future buyers it wasn't a problem, when a
'survey/homebuyers report' presented warnings.
Some mortgage lenders may also want to assign a mortgage retention
against this particular issue even if your current one doesn't which
will deter potential future buyers.
Best of luck with whatever you decide,
Nick
R Cutler
<d476338b.01112...@posting.google.com>,
la...@bcs.org.uk says...
>> It won't fall down. It will be cold.
And if you hear your neighbour drilling or chiselling the
wall, nip round there pronto and put him in the picture. A
lot of folks think you are taking the piss when you tell
them that you'd prefer your plaster and wallpaper to remain
flat. I was once fitting a light switch onto a single brick
thinly plastered wall (so I had to chip some brick away)
when out flew the complete brick, fortunately into the
entry between houses.
Ray.
--
Posted from mailer3.bham.ac.uk [147.188.128.54]
via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Tony Bryer
> And if you hear your neighbour drilling or chiselling the
> wall, nip round there pronto and put him in the picture. A
> lot of folks think you are taking the piss when you tell
> them that you'd prefer your plaster and wallpaper to remain
> flat. I was once fitting a light switch onto a single brick
> thinly plastered wall (so I had to chip some brick away)
> when out flew the complete brick, fortunately into the
> entry between houses.
There are some houses in Kingston that have half brick walls.
Someone decided to do a through room without consulting us
friendly BCO's, no pier, cut the wall back flush with the party
wall and let the beam into the wall half a brick. Unfortunately
the guilty party was a Council employee ...
In New Malden a number of 1930's houses were built with
fireplaces at ground floor level only. At bedroom level there is
a 4 1/2 'chimney breast' - the flues themselves are in line with
the party wall. To bring them into position they have to twist
round at ground floor level below ceiling level. So, when you
decide to remove that awful space-wasting chimney breast which
obviously isn't holding up anything above you get on with it.
Unfortunately it doesn't take long before you're into next door's
flue and all your soot, dust and dirt is all over their carpet.
If only they asked we could have told them ....
--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Simon Avery
Hello Tony
> TB| There are some houses in Kingston that have half brick
> TB| walls. Someone decided to do a through room without
> TB| consulting us friendly BCO's, no pier, cut the wall back
> TB| flush with the party wall and let the beam into the wall
> TB| half a brick. Unfortunately the guilty party was a Council
> TB| employee ...
So what happened to
a: the conversion - stay up, have to be redone, what?
b: the employee...
--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Personal pages: http://www.digdilem.org/
Tony Bryer
> So what happened to
>
> a: the conversion - stay up, have to be redone, what?
It's twenty years or so ago, but IIRC they had to put in a new
pier off a proper foundation
> b: the employee...
I don't think they got prosecuted: we probably sent them the
standard letters one would send in such circumstances but copied
them to the neighbour so that the latter knew the score. But, as
you might guess, it was the sort of road where no one would
bother with getting B.Regs approval for this sort of work so the
neighbour was fairly laid back. There were other roads on my
patch where the response would have been a county court claim for
damages, mental distress, trespass and the rest - but in those
sorts of roads the houses are detached <g>
Natural Philosopher
R Cutler wrote:
>
> In article
> <d476338b.01112...@posting.google.com>,
> la...@bcs.org.uk says...
>
> >> It won't fall down. It will be cold.
>
> And if you hear your neighbour drilling or chiselling the
> wall, nip round there pronto and put him in the picture. A
> lot of folks think you are taking the piss when you tell
> them that you'd prefer your plaster and wallpaper to remain
> flat. I was once fitting a light switch onto a single brick
> thinly plastered wall (so I had to chip some brick away)
> when out flew the complete brick, fortunately into the
> entry between houses.
Same thing happened to me when fitting a television bracket. I cut the
half brick in half, filled up the space behind teh wallpaper from
outside with mortar , pressed teh rawlplug into the mortar from inside
and teh half a half brick from the outside, and as far as I know its
still there...
> Ray.
>
> --
> Posted from mailer3.bham.ac.uk [147.188.128.54]
> via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
--
The real question is, does the mortar hold the bricks apart, or does it
stick them together?
Andy Dingley
>Same thing happened to me when fitting a television bracket. I cut the
>half brick in half, filled up the space behind teh wallpaper from
>outside with mortar , pressed teh rawlplug into the mortar from inside
>and teh half a half brick from the outside, and as far as I know its
>still there...
>--
>The real question is, does the mortar hold the bricks apart, or does it
>stick them together?
Sounds like you've finally answered your own question.
Natural Philosopher
:-0)