Rawtenstall · Lancashire
Wall tie replacement in Rawtenstall
Plenty of cavity-walled houses, in Rawtenstall 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£1,750per house inc VAT
- Postcodes
- BB4, OL13
- Population
- about 23,000
- Area
- Lancashire
- Pricing region
- North West
What should you know about the ground under Rawtenstall?
Postcode districts BB4, OL13 cover Rawtenstall, a Lancashire town of about 23,000 people. If you are just outside Rawtenstall, we also cover Ramsbottom (4 miles), Accrington (5 miles) and Bury (7 miles).
Parts of Lancashire have clay that can shrink near trees in dry spells. Parts of Lancashire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Lancashire: stone and brick mill terraces, seaside villas in Blackpool and Lytham, and inter-war and post-war semis.
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
- Horizontal cracks along mortar joints, repeating every few brick courses
Wall tie replacement prices in Rawtenstall
Prices in Rawtenstall are worked out on North West rates. They include VAT and are a starting point: access, the extent of the damage and whether an engineer or building control is involved all move the figure.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-terrace houseest. | £1,750 – £3,350 | per house |
| Semi-detached house | £2,400 – £4,800 | per house |
| Detached houseest. | £3,350 – £6,700 | per house |
| Scaffolding where neededest. | £575 – £1,750 | per elevation |
How we usually approach wall tie replacement
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
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 Rawtenstall
What is the price of wall tie replacement in Rawtenstall?
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Rawtenstall start from about £1,750 per house, including VAT, on North 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 Rawtenstall?
We do. Rawtenstall and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Ramsbottom and Accrington. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Does the ground around Rawtenstall cause cracking?
Lancashire is mostly glacial till over sandstone and mudstone, with the Burnley and Accrington coalfield in the east and soft coastal and estuarine ground on the Fylde. Old mill and mine sites leave made ground in many towns. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Is wall tie failure covered by insurance?
Usually not, because insurers treat it as gradual deterioration. Damage caused by a sudden event, such as part of a wall collapsing in a storm, may be treated differently under some policies. Check your policy wording, and tell your insurer if you are unsure.
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.
More repairs we carry out in Rawtenstall
- Chimney stack repairs
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Crack stitching
- Mining subsidence repairs
Wall tie replacement near Rawtenstall
If your Rawtenstall home has a bulging outer wall, send photos from a few angles and we will help you decide what needs checking first.