Common Defects in Victorian Houses

A Presentation from Quadriga Contracts Limited

By Lindsay Law

WHAT IS A QUADRIGA?

QUADRIGA’S SERVICES:• Survey Diagnosis and Proposal

• Full C.A.D Design and Detailing Service

• Structural Repair & Resin Bonding

• Concrete Repair, Cathodic Protection & Coatings

• Masonry Repair and Consolidation

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• Total Façade Restoration & Maintenance

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Victorian Houses

• Reign of Queen Victoria – 1837 – 1901

• National Rail Network

• Designed by Builders

• 6 Million Homes Built in 75 Years

Types of Victorian Houses

• Jacobethan (circa 1830’s)

• Gothic Revival (circa 1870’s)

• Arts & Crafts (circa 1880’s)

• Terraced

Jacobethan (circa 1830’s)

• Castle Like Fortifications

• Steep Roof Gables

• Intricate Brickwork

• High Chimneys

• Half Timbering

Gothic Revival (circa 1870’s)

• Made Popular by Pugin

• Pointed Roofs and Arches

• Stained Glass Windows

• Embellishments

• Ecclesiastical Touches i.e Turrets

Arts & Crafts (circa 1880’s)• Reaction to the Excesses of Victorian

Industrialisation

• Revival of Traditional Craftsmanship and Restore Simplicity

• Medieval, Romantic or Folk Styles of Decoration

• Look for Small Cottage-Style Wooden Casesment Windows, Sloping Roofs and Bare Stone and Brickwork

Terraced

• Solution to Demand for Cheap Urban Housing

• Continued to Early 1900’s

• Individual Design Repeated Over and Over

Design Issues

• Shortcuts – Inherant defects

• Design Issues Such as Roof Design and Windows

Roofs

• Major Area for Heatloss

Early• Dominated by Georgian Ideology• Serviceability Issues• Trap for Drifting Snow

Mid• Traditional with Central Ridge Parallel to Front Wall

Roofs

• Major Area for Heatloss

Early• Dominated by Georgian Ideology• Serviceability Issues• Trap for Drifting Snow

Mid• Traditional with Central Ridge Parallel to Front Wall

Windows

• Bay Windows – Foundations

• Trees Very Close to Front of House

Fire Break Walls

• Missing Fire Break Walls

Wall Tie Failure

• Use of Fewer Wall Ties

• Corrosion – Aggregates ( Electrolytic Action When Wet )

Floor Joists

• Floor Joists built into Walls

• Poorly Ventilated Voids Beneath Timber Floors

• Timber Beams Forming Part of Wall Structure

Damp

Three Types of Damp

• Rising Damp

• Penetrating Damp

• Condensation

Rising DampRising Damp Is A Form Of Dampness That Occurs, Particularly In

Older Buildings, When Groundwater Rises Up Through Walls, Floors And Masonry Via Capillary Action, Which Is The Ability Of A Liquid To

Flow In Narrow Spaces In Opposition To Gravity.

1770’s Onwards Damp Proofing Courses Officially Had To Be Added, In Some Areas This Was Already Taking Place In Others It Didn’t

Happen Until Much Later.

Penetrating DampPenetrating dampness is defined as the entry of water into a

property. This includes leaking roofs, defective guttering, entry of water through defective windows, poor pointing, spalled

brickwork and down chimneys.

• Rogue Bricks – Absorbing Water – Freeze – Expand – Break

• Incorrect Mortar Mixes

• Failed Rainwater Goods

Penetrating Damp

Penetrating dampness is defined as the entry of water into a property. This includes leaking roofs, defective guttering, entry

of water through defective windows, poor pointing, spalled brickwork and down chimneys.

• Rogue Bricks – Absorbing Water – Freeze – Expand – Break

• Incorrect Mortar Mixes

• Failed Rainwater Goods

Penetrating Damp

• Poor Detailing of the Junction of Roofs and Walls

• Poor Window Detailing

CondensationThe Conversion Of A Vapour Or Gas To A Liquid.

Main Reason For Condensation In Victorian Buildings Is Due To Solid Wall Contruction And Lack Of Ventilation.

How Does Water Get Into Walls?

• Water Is Present As A Gas All Around Us, Harmless Not Wet• Old House Walls Alsways Have Bit Of Water In Them As A Vapour• If Wall Is Cooled The Water Can Turn Into A Liquid ( Condensation )• Water Can Evaporate Through Lime Plaster Or Lime Mortar Or Stone• If It Is Blocked By Gypsum Plaster, Cement Render Or Pointing On The

Outside The Wall Will Get Wet.

CondensationThe Conversion Of A Vapour Or Gas To A Liquid.

Main Reason For Condensation In Victorian Buildings Is Due To Solid Wall Contruction And Lack Of Ventilation.

How Does Water Get Into Walls?

• Water Is Present As A Gas All Around Us, Harmless Not Wet• Old House Walls Alsways Have Bit Of Water In Them As A Vapour• If Wall Is Cooled The Water Can Turn Into A Liquid ( Condensation )• Water Can Evaporate Through Lime Plaster Or Lime Mortar Or Stone• If It Is Blocked By Gypsum Plaster, Cement Render Or Pointing On The

Outside The Wall Will Get Wet.

Movement

• Subsidence

• Settlement

• Bowing and Leaning

• Cracking

• Differential Movement

Movement

Foundations – Should Be Deep Enough To Avoid Movement In The Ground Caused By Frost And Seasonal Moisture Changes

Victorian Footings – Less Than Half A Mtr Deep Can Depend To A Large Extent On The Type Of Ground Theyre Built On.

Chalk And Rock Are The Firmest Types Of Subsoil But Clay Has A Nasty Habit Of Drying Out, Shrinking And Cracking

The Word Subsidense Refers To The Ground Beneath Foundations Giving Way.

Heave

Heave is swelling usually caused by;

Droughts

Tree roots

Heavy frost

Subsidence

Leaking Drains Can Turn The Ground Under Homes Into Soft, Squelchy Marshland

Subsidence

Nearby Excavation Work

Subsidence

Sinkholes And Old Mine Workings

Settlement

• Commonly Mistaken For Subsidence

• Constructional Settlement Is Usually Complete By The End Of Construction

• Some Victorian Houses Built On Clay, Silts And Peat Have Still Not Achieved Equilibrium Due To Their Nature

Bowing and Leaning

• Victorian Houses Prone To Bowing Out Or Leaning Of Gable Walls

• Cast-iron Spreader Plates And Tie Bars Commonly Inserted

Bowing and Leaning

• Vulnerable Parapet Walls At Roof Level And Heavy Gables Over Windows

• Installation Of Bressumer Beams And S And X Shaped Tie Bars

Bowing and Leaning

• Walls Leaning Out At Upper Level Usually Caused By ‘Roof Spread’

• Roof Rafters Pushing The Top Of The Wall Out As They Are No Longer Being Hel In Place By Ceiling Joist

• Clue – Gaps Of Window Frames In Upstairs Rooms Wider At The Top Than The Bottom

Bowing and Leaning

• Cracking To Interior Platerwork

• Gaps Between Skirtings And The Floor

• Standard Bow Ties Are Recommended To Go Into Joist Ends

• HD Bow Ties Are Recommended To Go Into Parallel Joist Through A Solid Wall

Cracking

• Mostly Insignificant – Superficial Cracks Up To 1mm Wide Are Unlikely To Be Of Any Great Concern

• More Likely To Occur Where Hard, Modern Plasters And Cement Renders And Mortars Have Been Applied To Flexible Old Walls

• Cracking More Serious Where It Extends Right Through The Wall From The Ground Up And Where Vertical Tapered Crackeing Is Wider At The Top Or Mirrored

Cracking

• Mostly Insignificant – Superficial Cracks Up To 1mm Wide Are Unlikely To Be Of Any Great Concern

• More Likely To Occur Where Hard, Modern Plasters And Cement Renders And Mortars Have Been Applied To Flexible Old Walls

• Cracking More Serious Where It Extends Right Through The Wall From The Ground Up And Where Vertical Tapered Crackeing Is Wider At The Top Or Mirrored

Diagnosing Cracking

• Crack Monitor Gauge

Cracking

• Structural Alterations – Walls And Windows Removed And Replaced

• Neighbours Carring Out Basement Coversions

Differential Movement

Usually Appears At The Junction Between Two Structures With Different Foundtion Depths

• New Extensions• Bay Windows

Generally Dealt With By Stitching

Great Mistakes

Great Mistakes

• Quick Fix – More Harm Than Good

• Polyurethan Spray Foam Being Used To Glue The Undersides Of Tiles To Battens

• Failure To Provide Enhanced Structural Support To Roof Structures

Great Mistakes

• Do Use Lime Pointing Between Your Brick Or Stonework

• If It Is Rendered Outside It Will Be Lime Render And Lime Plasters Inside

• Allow Water To Be Absorbed Into The Fabric And Evaporate Out

Great Mistakes

• Replacing Good Quality Sash Windows With Inappropriate Modern Aluminium

• Removing Windows Without Supporting Brickwork