Booking stages
How a wall tie survey runs
Cavity wall ties are the metal strips that hold the outer leaf of brickwork to the inner one. When they rust, the mortar joints they sit in can crack in neat horizontal lines, often every fifth or sixth course, and walls may start to bow. If you are wondering whether a wall tie survey is worth booking, the steps below show how a booking runs, what the specialist looks at on the day and what you get afterwards.
Book the wall tie survey
Choose the wall tie survey option and book it at the set price shown. Add the property address, roughly when the house was built and whether it is detached, semi or terraced, since tie type and spacing changed over the decades.
Note the warning signs
Tell us what made you look closer: stepped or horizontal cracking in the mortar, a bulge in the gable, window or door heads that seem to have lifted, or a mention in a buyer's report. Photos of the affected elevations are a real help.
Visit date and access
A local specialist will be in touch to arrange a time and ask about access to each outside wall, including any rear lanes, conservatories or sheds built against the brickwork.
Locating and viewing the ties
On the day the specialist uses a metal detector to find where the ties sit, then drills small holes in selected mortar joints and looks into the cavity with a borescope to see how far corrosion has gone. The holes are filled before the visit ends.
Weighing up the cause
Not every crack means tie failure. The specialist considers other explanations, such as settlement, frost damage or expanding cavity fill, before linking the evidence to the ties.
Your report and next steps
A written report sets out the condition of the ties found, the walls affected and what the specialist recommends, whether that is monitoring, partial replacement with remedial ties or a full replacement.
Booking stages
What you get
A written report on the condition of your cavity wall ties
Borescope findings and photos for each wall inspected
A note of other possible causes the specialist ruled in or out
Recommendations on remedial ties or monitoring, in order of urgency
Any certificate the specialist provides for the inspection
No pressure
Book a wall tie survey
Give the address and a few lines on the brickwork, and a specialist covering your area will confirm the visit at the set price.