Folkestone · Kent
Crack stitching in Folkestone
Got a crack you can slip a coin into? In Folkestone, as anywhere, that is usually wide enough to justify stitching rather than filling, provided an engineer or surveyor agrees the wall has stopped moving.
Guide price from£90per metre of crack inc VAT
- Postcodes
- CT19, CT20
- Population
- about 66,000
- Area
- Kent
- Pricing region
- South East
How do local ground conditions affect crack stitching in Folkestone?
Folkestone is in Kent and takes in postcode districts CT19, CT20. About 66,000 people live there. If you are just outside Folkestone, we also cover Dover (7 miles), Ashford (13 miles) and Deal (14 miles).
Kent is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Parts of Kent lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Housing stock in Kent: Victorian terraces in the Medway towns, weatherboarded and Wealden houses, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows.
Symptoms that point to crack stitching
- Stepped cracking beside a window, door or corner
- A crack you can fit a coin into, running through bricks and mortar
- Cracking that a surveyor or engineer has said is now stable
Guide prices for crack stitching in Folkestone
For Folkestone we use South East rates. Treat the table as a budget guide, inc VAT; the price you pay is the one on your written quote.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Crack stitching with stainless helical bars | £90 – £200 | per metre of crack |
| Small jobs (minimum visit)est. | £390 – £560 | per visit |
| Repointing over the stitched line in matching mortarest. | £35 – £65 | per metre |
Methods for crack stitching
Helical bars in resin grout
A resin grout bonds quickly and strongly to the bar and masonry and suits wet conditions or work that must take load sooner. It is less forgiving of soft or crumbly bricks, so the choice of grout is made wall by wall rather than as a rule.
Best for: Dense bricks, damp walls and repairs needing a fast cure
Helical bars in cementitious grout
The most common approach. A slot is cut along the bed joint with a twin-blade cutter, flushed out and part filled with a cement-based grout. The helical bar is pushed in, more grout is packed over it, and the joint is pointed to match. The grout cures over a few days.
Best for: Most brick and block walls, including older softer bricks
From first photo to finished repair
Set out the bars
Bar positions are marked across the crack, typically every few courses up its full height, with each bar extending well into sound brickwork on both sides. An engineer’s specification, where there is one, sets the exact spacing and length.
Cut, clean and grout
Slots are cut into the bed joints to the right depth, dust is blown and washed out, and grout is placed. The bars are pressed home and covered, and the crack line is filled or injected.
Make good and record
Internal plaster cracks are cut out and filled where included, and dust is cleared. You receive a short note of where the bars went, which is useful for future buyers, surveyors and any insurance file.
Rules for crack stitching in England
Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for crack stitching in Folkestone?
Guide prices for crack stitching in Folkestone start from about £90 per metre of crack, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Can you survey a property in Folkestone?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Folkestone, including CT19, CT20, and from nearby places such as Dover and Ashford. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Why do houses in Kent crack?
North Kent sits on London Clay, central Kent on Gault and Weald Clays and the Downs on chalk, so shrinkable clay is widespread. East Kent around Deal and Dover had a small deep coalfield, worked until the late 1980s. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
How long does crack stitching last?
Stainless steel bars do not rust, so a stitched repair in a stable wall should last as long as the surrounding brickwork. The repair only fails early when the wall keeps moving, which is why the cause is dealt with before the bars go in.
How far apart are helical bars placed?
Helical bars are usually placed every few courses up the full height of the crack, each one running well past the crack into sound brickwork. Spacing and bar length depend on the wall and the crack width, and where an engineer has specified the repair, their drawing sets them.
Related work in Folkestone
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Underpinning
- Bowing wall repairs
- Subsidence repairs
- Floor joist repairs
Crack stitching near Folkestone
Hold a ruler against the crack at your Folkestone home, take a clear photo and send it in for a free initial assessment and a guide price.