Wokingham · Berkshire
Wall tie replacement in Wokingham
On exposed sites around Wokingham, the elevation facing the weather often loses its wall ties first. Remedial stainless ties reconnect the two leaves, and the old ties are isolated or removed where they are still pushing the brickwork apart.
Guide price from£2,000per house inc VAT
- Postcodes
- RG40, RG41, RG45
- Population
- about 41,000
- Area
- Berkshire
- Pricing region
- South East
What should you know about the ground under Wokingham?
Wokingham, Berkshire: about 41,000 residents across postcode districts RG40, RG41, RG45. Nearby, we also cover Bracknell (4 miles), Camberley (7 miles) and Reading (7 miles).
Much of Berkshire sits on clay that shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet winters. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Housing stock in Berkshire: Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Reading and Windsor, 1930s semis, and large post-war new-town estates around Bracknell.
Signs you may need wall tie replacement
- A house built before the 1980s on an exposed or coastal site
- Cracked render with a regular horizontal pattern
- Mortar joints that look wider or opened up on one elevation
How much will wall tie replacement cost in Wokingham?
The ranges below reflect typical South East costs for wall tie replacement, including VAT. Scaffold, access and making good can push a job to the top of the range.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-terrace houseest. | £2,000 – £3,900 | per house |
| Semi-detached house | £2,800 – £5,600 | per house |
| Detached houseest. | £3,900 – £7,850 | per house |
| Scaffolding where neededest. | £670 – £2,000 | per elevation |
Which repair method suits a home in Wokingham?
Removing old ties and rebedding
On badly cracked elevations the old ties are cut out from the outer face, the joints raked and rebedded, and the brickwork repointed. It is more work than isolation but removes the source of expansion entirely. An engineer or the survey report usually specifies where this is needed.
Best for: Elevations with severe cracking or lifting
Remedial tie installation
New stainless ties are drilled through the outer leaf into the inner leaf, then fixed by mechanical expansion or resin, depending on the masonry. They are placed to a set grid across each elevation, with extra ties around openings and at the edges. Holes are made good in matching mortar.
Best for: Walls where the original ties have failed or are missing
What happens when we carry out wall tie replacement in Wokingham?
Tie survey
A metal detector locates the existing ties and shows their pattern. Small holes are then drilled at sample points and a borescope passed into the cavity to see the tie condition, type and embedment. The holes are made good afterwards.
Access
Ties are fitted across the whole of each affected elevation, so scaffold or a tower is usually needed above ground floor. We plan access around conservatories, extensions, neighbours’ land and any parking that must be suspended.
Deal with the old ties and make good
Old ties are isolated or removed where the report calls for it, cracked joints are raked out and repointed, and drilled holes are filled in matching mortar. A written note of tie positions and findings goes in your property file.
Rules for wall tie replacement 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.
Wall tie replacement in Wokingham: questions and answers
What is the price of wall tie replacement in Wokingham?
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Wokingham start from about £2,000 per house, 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.
Do you carry out wall tie replacement in Wokingham?
We do. Wokingham and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Bracknell and Camberley. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Does the ground around Wokingham cause cracking?
East Berkshire is largely London Clay with Thames terrace gravels along the river, while the west rises onto chalk downland. Houses on the clay near Slough, Windsor and Bracknell are the ones most exposed to shrink-swell movement. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Which houses are most at risk of wall tie failure?
Cavity-walled houses built before the 1980s are most at risk, especially those with mild steel ties, black ash mortar or an exposed position. Coastal and hilltop houses, and elevations facing the prevailing weather, tend to fail first.
Will a mortgage lender accept wall tie replacement?
Lenders generally accept properly carried out tie replacement, but they may want to see the survey, the quote or a record of the completed work. If a valuation has flagged wall ties, a written report and itemised quote are usually what the lender or buyer needs next.
More repairs we carry out in Wokingham
- Bowing wall repairs
- Brick arch repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Floor joist repairs
- Structural crack repairs
Wall tie replacement near Wokingham
Send photos of any horizontal cracking at your Wokingham property and we will tell you whether a wall tie survey looks worthwhile.