Hexham · Northumberland
Wall tie replacement in Hexham
Horizontal cracking on a Hexham house is easy to mistake for subsidence. Rusting wall ties leave a much more regular pattern, though, and telling the two apart early saves time, money and an unnecessary insurance claim.
Guide price from£1,650per house inc VAT
- Postcodes
- NE46
- Population
- about 12,000
- Area
- Northumberland
- Pricing region
- North East
Is Northumberland prone to ground movement?
We cover Hexham and its postcode districts NE46, part of Northumberland, with a population of roughly 12,000. Neighbouring towns we cover: Consett (13 miles), Blaydon-on-Tyne (15 miles) and Whickham (17 miles).
Northumberland has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Northumberland lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Housing stock in Northumberland: Colliery terraces, stone farmhouses and villages, and post-war estates.
From first photo to finished repair
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.
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.
Symptoms that point to wall tie replacement
- Outer brickwork bowing or bulging, often worst near the top
- A house built before the 1980s on an exposed or coastal site
- Mortar joints that look wider or opened up on one elevation
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Hexham
Guide prices below are for homes in Hexham, on North East 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. | £1,650 – £3,200 | per house |
| Semi-detached house | £2,300 – £4,600 | per house |
| Detached houseest. | £3,200 – £6,450 | per house |
| Scaffolding where neededest. | £550 – £1,650 | per elevation |
Methods for 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
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.
Frequently asked questions
How much will wall tie replacement cost in Hexham?
Guide prices for wall tie replacement in Hexham start from about £1,650 per house, including VAT, on North East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you cover Hexham?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Hexham, including NE46, and from nearby places such as Consett and Blaydon-on-Tyne. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Is the ground in Northumberland prone to subsidence?
South-east Northumberland around Blyth, Ashington and Cramlington lies on the Northumberland coalfield, worked extensively in the past, under a cover of glacial clay. The north and west are hard rock and moorland. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
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.
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.
Other structural repairs in Hexham
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Brick arch repairs
- Roof structure repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Structural crack repairs
Wall tie replacement near Hexham
If your Hexham home has a bulging outer wall, send photos from a few angles and we will help you decide what needs checking first.