Alternative Wall?

[jo m]

Hi

Not sure if anyone can help, as i'm unable to download a photo. But I thought it was worth a try!

Just googled Alternative Walls and found your site!

I am recently qualified and just been to a 3 bed ex-council semi built 1953 where just the top half of the front elevation is tiled with two windows in it. On measuring, the area it is in excess of 10%. Rest of house is cavity brick work with evident drill holes for filled insulation. The roof pitch comes down to the top of the windows so no wall is evident in the loft space.

Tile hanging - I would have said timber framed, but internally on tapping, its solid brick, so then Im thinking its just decor, but the windows are set back and the wall thickness is 300mm (including tiles)!!

In front of the window frame the gap to the tiles is filled with mortar approx 60mm thick.

Any help for a damsel in distress greatly appreciated!

Cheers

[K4blades]

Its hard to tell with no pic, how do the tiles hang in relation to the groundfloor, (recessed or project out). I think in most cases, the assumption is solid wall, obviously, as built, unless you have reason to believe any insulation added at a later date.

[jo m]

Hi thanks for your help

The tiles do project out above the ground floor brickwork

[w1234]

Built in the 50's it is most likely to be a solid 9 inch wall in brick or concrete block. 220mm for the brickwork, 20mm plaster, 60mm for the tile hanging. After 1965 the building regs required a U value of 1.7 so builders then used timber studwork for the tile hung walls. After 1975 they went back to solid with thermalite blocks. After the mid 90's it went to cavity walls.

[moddey]

Well done W1234, thats very informative on a mega-difficult subject. Where did you get your info from was it a book? Pity there is no default to use on RdSAP eg: enter Tile hung and the date and the software assume the most likely construction. After all you cannot be 100% sure on Tile Hung as some builders in the 70s did tile hung on cavity walls and some as you mention used thermalite blocks. The manuals are very sketchy on the subject. Any Building CSs out there have any answers!

[w1234]

Hi moddey,
That info was from memory. I started work in 1965 as an apprentice bricklayer, so I can remember that year as the start of the Building Regs. I agree that it can be difficult to be sure what is underneath the tiles in some instances.
It would usually be the architect who decided whether to use cavity or solid walls. A builder would prefer to use solid walls as thay are quicker to construct. Also it is much easier to tile hang a solid wall built with thermalite blocks than a cavity wall with the external skin in concrete blocks.
When a 9 inch wall built in concrete blocks or bricks was tile hung it was sometimes counter battened with 2x2 battens. This was because the battens needed to be drilled, plugged and screwed and as the vertical battens were only every 2 foot compared to every 4 1/2 inches for the horizontal ones it meant less drilling. With thermalite the battens could be nailed to the blocks so counter battens were not used.
When a solid wall was counter battened it would look and measure the same as a cavity wall. However felt would be used under the battens on a solid wall as the tiles(concrete or clay) would allow some water through in heavy rainfall. It didn't matter with a cavity wall, so felt was not needed. You can usually see the edge of the felt by the eaves tile.
Regards Stuart.

[jo m]

Hi W1234

Thanks for the in depth info, it has helped loads, ive gone for solid wall as you suggested! Thanks again for taking the time to help me out!

Regards Jo