Falmouth · Cornwall
Wall tie replacement in Falmouth
Plenty of cavity-walled houses, in Falmouth as elsewhere, were built when galvanised steel ties were standard, and those ties are now reaching the end of their life. A survey shows whether yours are sound, thinning or actively swelling and cracking the brickwork.
Guide price from£1,850per house inc VAT
- Postcodes
- TR11
- Population
- about 32,000
- Area
- Cornwall
- Pricing region
- South West
How do local ground conditions affect wall tie replacement in Falmouth?
Postcode districts TR11 cover Falmouth, a Cornwall town of about 32,000 people. We also take enquiries from nearby Truro (8 miles), Redruth (9 miles) and Camborne (11 miles).
Clay shrinkage is less of a concern in Cornwall, so other causes such as drains, poor footings or older walls are checked first. Old metal-mine shafts and workings are recorded in places, so mining searches are routine for some properties. Across Cornwall, most homes are granite and slate-stone cottages, cob buildings, Victorian terraces and post-war estates.
What to look for before calling about wall tie replacement
- The roof edge or verge lifting slightly above the brickwork
- Mortar joints that look wider or opened up on one elevation
- Outer brickwork bowing or bulging, often worst near the top
Wall tie replacement prices in Falmouth
Guide prices below are for homes in Falmouth, on South West rates and including VAT. A survey or good photos let us turn them into a fixed written price.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-terrace houseest. | £1,850 – £3,600 | per house |
| Semi-detached house | £2,600 – £5,150 | per house |
| Detached houseest. | £3,600 – £7,200 | per house |
| Scaffolding where neededest. | £620 – £1,850 | per elevation |
How we usually approach wall tie replacement
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
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
What happens during wall tie replacement, step by step?
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.
Install the new ties
New stainless ties are drilled and fixed to the specified grid, with closer spacing around windows, doors and the roofline. Sample ties can be pull-tested to confirm they are holding in your particular brick and block.
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.
Questions about wall tie replacement in Falmouth
What is the price of wall tie replacement in Falmouth?
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Falmouth start from about £1,850 per house, including VAT, on South West 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 Falmouth?
Yes, Falmouth is covered, along with postcode districts TR11. We also cover nearby Truro and Redruth.
Does the ground around Falmouth cause cracking?
Cornwall is mostly granite and slate with little shrinkable clay, so clay subsidence is less common than in the south-east. Historic tin and copper mining has left shafts and workings in places such as Camborne and Redruth, and mining searches are routine there. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Do the old wall ties have to be removed?
Not always, because thin wire ties that cannot swell are usually left in place once new ties are fitted. Thicker ties that are still expanding and cracking the wall are isolated or removed so they stop causing damage. The survey decides which applies.
How do I know if my wall ties have failed?
The clearest sign is horizontal cracking in the mortar joints repeating every few courses, often with a bulge or a lifted roofline. Wire ties can fail with no cracking at all, so a tie survey with a metal detector and borescope is the only reliable check.
More repairs we carry out in Falmouth
Wall tie replacement near Falmouth
Send photos of any horizontal cracking at your Falmouth property and we will tell you whether a wall tie survey looks worthwhile.