Saltash · Cornwall
Wall tie replacement in Saltash
Plenty of cavity-walled houses, in Saltash 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
- PL12
- Population
- about 16,000
- Area
- Cornwall
- Pricing region
- South West
How do local ground conditions affect wall tie replacement in Saltash?
With roughly 16,000 people, Saltash spans postcode districts PL12 in Cornwall. Nearby places we cover include Plymouth (4 miles), Bodmin (22 miles) and St Austell (25 miles).
Most of Cornwall is on firmer ground than the clay belts of the south-east. Old metal-mine shafts and workings are recorded in places, so mining searches are routine for some properties. What you mostly find across Cornwall: granite and slate-stone cottages, cob buildings, Victorian terraces and post-war estates.
What to look for before calling about wall tie replacement
- Outer brickwork bowing or bulging, often worst near the top
- Mortar joints that look wider or opened up on one elevation
- The roof edge or verge lifting slightly above the brickwork
Wall tie replacement prices in Saltash
For Saltash we use South West 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Isolating the old ties
Where the old ties are swelling and cracking the brickwork, fitting new ties alone may not stop further damage. Each old tie can be isolated, usually by cutting it through within the cavity or sleeving its outer end, so it can no longer lift the outer leaf as it continues to corrode.
Best for: Thick mild steel ties still causing horizontal cracking
Partial rebuild of the outer leaf
If a section of the outer leaf has bulged too far to be tied back, it is carefully taken down and rebuilt with new ties built in as the work goes up. This is uncommon, and is usually limited to a gable top, a parapet or a panel under a window.
Best for: Outer leaf too distorted to tie back safely
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.
Report and quote
You receive a written summary of what the survey found on each elevation, which walls need new ties, whether old ties should be isolated or removed, and a no-obligation written quote with scaffold shown separately.
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.
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 Saltash
What is the price of wall tie replacement in Saltash?
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Saltash 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 Saltash?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Saltash, including PL12, and from nearby places such as Plymouth and Bodmin. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Does the ground around Saltash 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 all walls of the house need new ties?
Not necessarily, because ties often fail on one exposed elevation long before the others. The survey checks each wall, and the quote covers only the elevations where ties have failed or are close to it. Sheltered walls may simply be noted for future checks.
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 Saltash
- Bowing wall repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Brick arch repairs
- Concrete repairs
Wall tie replacement near Saltash
Send photos of any horizontal cracking at your Saltash property and we will tell you whether a wall tie survey looks worthwhile.