Wall ties Special Notes – Installation and Isolation of Cavity Wall Ties

The drilling of brickwork, mortar beds, render and other masonry materials causes a lot of dust. Given unfavourable wind conditions this can be carried away from the area of our work to contaminate other areas such as plants, windows, driveways, parked vehicles, paths and where windows, doors and other openings (e.g. ventilation points, cat flaps etc.) are left open, the internal surfaces of houses. Neighbours and you own washing hung out. side may also be at risk. The client must take all precautions to minimize the opportunities for such problems to arise and early discussion with neighbours is advised. Where party or shared walls are to be treated it is a legal requirement that you notify and obtain the consent of the adjoining owner under the Party Wall act 1996. We will assume that this has been done prior to commencement of our work and confirmed by the client’s signature on our acceptance form.

Drilling will also cause vibration which can affect hanging items and ornaments inside houses, and sensitive intruder alarm systems both inside and outside houses. These should be removed or in the case of alarms, deactivated, before work is started. We are unable to take responsibility for alarm call out charges where a system goes into “tamper” mode as a result of vibration. Occasionally drilling vibration may also cause minor damage to internal block or brickwork and also plasterwork, particularly if they are in old or poor condition. We will not be responsible for repairs or redecoration in such a case. However, we would be able to help rectify problems with the agreement of the client.

It will not be possible to install new ties or isolate existing original ties in areas that are inaccessible. This includes areas covered by or close to guttering, down piping, satellite dishes, external lights, alarm boxes, gas systems or electricity wire runs and other wall fixed items. This will rarely affect the isolation of more than several original ties in anyone property and therefore should not be regarded as a significant problem.

Wall tie work is undertaken from the outside of the property. The work is weather dependent as we can not use electrical equipment (e.g. drills) outside in wet weather. This may mean delays and the need to reschedule the completion of the work. We will try to minimize these delays.

We require access to a 13 amp, 240 volt electric power and a clean water supply. Our requirement for power can be high for short periods so access to the main electric meter switch board/fuses must be allowed. Unless previously agreed, we reserve the right to make a charge for hiring a generator if no power supply is available or the power supply provided is insufficient to run our equipment. (Charge: £50.00 + vat for first day, followed by £15.00 + vat per day thereafter).

Before attending site, we require that all movable items next to the external walls of the property are moved by the client so that we can gain access to the walls with our tower, scaffolding or ladders. This includes vegetation growing up or bearing onto the walls. The use of this equipment sometimes results in localized damage to flower beds and their contents, though we will do our best to minimize this damage.

If you are in any doubt as to the extent of our work or the consequences of it, please do not hesitate to discuss this with me. We have found that planning ahead always helps the smooth running of the work and contributes to the client’s satisfaction of the work done.