Repair to dropped brick arch

[rhamson]

Hello, hoping for reassurance on a previously repaired dropped brick arch, as we are now planning to add weight to the room above it and I wanted to check if the work done is sufficient to support it...

A few months after moving into our c.1909 end-of-terrace last spring, I noticed that the leftmost brick on the arch above a ground-floor window was broken, with some stepped cracking above. Our family friend/surveyor agreed with me that it had probably happened when the UPVC window was put in (many years ago presumably), but that it was unlikely to move further; he expected there would be a lintel on the inner layer of bricks, and the arch had only dropped on the outer layer. He therefore advised replacing the broken brick and repairing the cracks with an epoxy mortar (rather than helibars etc which I'd asked about). Our builder wasn't comfortable removing the brick in the end because the cracks seemed quite deep after raking out, but renewed the previous repair and cracks with epoxy mortar and then cement mortar on top to colour match pointing.

We figured we would see if it cracked again and take further action if needed - definitely if we ever come to replace the window, but hoping it would stay put until then. 8 months on, no further cracking, so all seems well so far. I have since noticed very slight cracking on the other side too, but I think this has always been there but never as noticeable as the left side, so overlooked.

We now need to redo the bathroom in the room above this with the two windows. We are planning to install extra tiling to the walls and floor, with a heavier freestanding-type bath, which will all add extra weight to the joists which go into this wall, as I understand it.

So my question is, is the repair sufficient to be able to add extra weight without worrying? Or is further work needed? Can we do the bathroom and then keep monitoring the cracks? Is it correct that there should be an internal lintel, and how can we tell?!

Thanks in advance for any help! Hoping I'm still worrying unnecessarily, but thought it might be helpful to double-check before paying out for the bathroom... Pictures show current state of wall, how it looked before repair, and inside view (UPVC is not actually aligned perfectly with wooden window surround - window is level, surround is slightly lower to the left viewed from inside).

 

[Lime]

The wall has been re-pointed with cement which is not a good start.
On balance the movement of the brick has been slight BUT there has been movement SINCE the re-pointing was done.
My house had a similar problem where the floor joists rely on a brick arch over french windows.
My bricks and arch had much more movement than shown here but it was an old movement.
The mortar was raked out and re-pointed some 25 years ago and no movement has occurred since.
I'd be reluctant to add to the load on your brick arch given the recent but small movement shown.
The movement suggests that something may have been changed or altered in your bathroom adding to the load on the arch at the time of or since the re-pointing.

 

[rhamson]

The wall has been re-pointed with cement which is not a good start.
On balance the movement of the brick has been slight BUT there has been movement SINCE the re-pointing was done.
My house had a similar problem where the floor joists rely on a brick arch over french windows.
My bricks and arch had much more movement than shown here but it was an old movement.
The mortar was raked out and re-pointed some 25 years ago and no movement has occurred since.
I'd be reluctant to add to the load on your brick arch given the recent but small movement shown.
The movement suggests that something may have been changed or altered in your bathroom adding to the load on the arch at the time of the re-pointing.

Thanks for the reply - if the windows were changed after the repointing, could that be the cause of the movement? And so maybe unlikely to move further now repaired (if repair sounds sufficient)?

Also do you think the arch is taking all the weight or would there be a lintel expected with this type? It seems quite wide now that I think about it to be the only support, but not an expert!

 

[stuart45]

It's quite likely to have a timber beam on the inside. You would know if you had to fix a curtain rail there. A segmental arch with a big radius and a 6ft span is not the strongest of arches.
It's probably only taking the weight at the front.

 

[rhamson]

It's quite likely to have a timber beam on the inside. You would know if you had to fix a curtain rail there. A segmental arch with a big radius and a 6ft span is not the strongest of arches.
It's probably only taking the weight at the front.

Ah OK thanks; that corresponds with what our surveyor friend expected! Does that mean the joists are supported by the part of the wall with the lintel, and not the outer part with the arch, if I've understood correctly?

 

[stuart45]

The joists are probably built into the wall about 4 inches on a house of that age. It does put them at risk from timber rot in a solid wall. The bearing ends of the lintel are also at risk.

 

[Lime]

Thanks for the reply - if the windows were changed after the repointing, could that be the cause of the movement? And so maybe unlikely to move further now repaired (if repair sounds sufficient)?

Also do you think the arch is taking all the weight or would there be a lintel expected with this type? It seems quite wide now that I think about it to be the only support, but not an expert!

If the house was built with an inner lintel it is most likely to be wooden which would be considered inadequate these days.
Removal of the old frame shouldn't have caused the movement PER SE but it might have been taking some load which the new window frame doesn't now provide.
If a new steel or concrete lintel was installed when the window frame was replaced that may well be the reason the arch has moved since.

As I said the movement is slight but the fact that it is recent would be a worry to me.
the photos tell the tale that the whole wall was re-pointed at some time relatively recently I'd assume.
This would have covered up any historic movement.
Then after a while the settlement crack appeared (or re-appeared, who knows?).
The crack was then re-pointed/repaired and covered up.
Parts of that repair have fallen out since and show that the pointing repair was only superficial.

Perhaps the situation might be remedied if the pointing was removed in and around the crack and it was found that the mortar behind the removed pointing is missing or crumbled?
If it is missing that would allow the crack to open up further allowing the arch to move.
Raking out and refilling between the bricks may be all it needs.

 

[rhamson]

If the house was built with an inner lintel it is most likely to be wooden which would be considered inadequate these days.
Removal of the old frame shouldn't have caused the movement PER SE but it might have been taking some load which the new window frame doesn't now provide.
If a new steel or concrete lintel was installed when the window frame was replaced that may well be the reason the arch has moved since.

As I said the movement is slight but the fact that it is recent would be a worry to me.
the photos tell the tale that the whole wall was re-pointed at some time relatively recently I'd assume.
This would have covered up any historic movement.
Then after a while the settlement crack appeared (or re-appeared, who knows?).
The crack was then re-pointed/repaired and covered up.
Parts of that repair have fallen out since and show that the pointing repair was only superficial.

Perhaps the situation might be remedied if the pointing was removed in and around the crack and it was found that the mortar behind the removed pointing is missing or crumbled?
If it is missing that would allow the crack to open up further allowing the arch to move.
Raking out and refilling between the bricks may be all it needs.

Thank you! Just to clarify that the first photo is after our repair last summer, and second is how it was before, so there hasn't been any re-settlement since then - does that sound better or still a concern? When our builder raked out the cracked pointing, he did mention something about the gaps/cracks going quite far back (which is why he opted not to risk replacing the end brick), so maybe the previous pointing was superficial like you say; it should now have been filled back in properly with epoxy mortar.

Btw our surveyor thought that the end brick might have been damaged when changing the window, which then caused some movement, so that sounds possible too.

 

[stuart45]

Was there any cracking on the inside?

 

[rhamson]

Was there any cracking on the inside?

Can't tell at the moment on the ground floor as whole room (like most of the house) is covered in old anaglypta. There is one horizontal crack between the two windows in the bathroom above, at window sill level - I excavated this a bit and found that it goes into the lime(?) plaster at the back, but looks worse than it is because the gypsum skim has pulled away below and then been painted over. No cracking outside here visible. Perhaps plaster was damaged putting in these two windows, I guess will be able to confirm when redoing the bathroom hopefully!

 

[stuart45]

That's the trouble with anaglypta, it's really good at covering up any cracks.

 

[Lime]

Thank you! Just to clarify that the first photo is after our repair last summer, and second is how it was before, so there hasn't been any re-settlement since then - does that sound better or still a concern? When our builder raked out the cracked pointing, he did mention something about the gaps/cracks going quite far back (which is why he opted not to risk replacing the end brick), so maybe the previous pointing was superficial like you say; it should now have been filled back in properly with epoxy mortar.

Btw our surveyor thought that the end brick might have been damaged when changing the window, which then caused some movement, so that sounds possible too.

Yes, I see the difference in the photos.
The "before" photo shows a repair over the re-pointing, some of the repair has come away denoting movement.
I'd keep an eye on the new repair, but your builder may have solved it.

 

[rhamson]

Yes, I see the difference in the photos.
The "before" photo shows a repair over the re-pointing, some of the repair has come away denoting movement.
I'd keep an eye on the new repair, but your builder may have solved it.

Thank you, I hadn't noticed a previous repair. Fingers crossed but yes will definitely continue to monitor it

 

[rhamson]

Hi again, wondering if I can add to this thread with a similar probable issue to another brick arch! This time a first floor bedroom.

I've discovered what looks like stepped cracking on the inside under some damaged plaster after removing wallpaper (this wall had been affected by historic damp from broken gutter, gypsum skim etc) - I hadn't noticed an issue outside before but taking another look there might be some slight cracking to the repointing. I'm assuming again that the installation of the UPVC windows could have caused movement.

Should the first course of action be the same repair as described above for our other arch, i.e. rake out all loose stuff inside and out, and epoxy mortar to glue it together? Then monitor to see if that's sufficient? Thanks again for any advice.

(Also including a photo of the beam under the window which is rotten at the right end where it was damp, rest seems solid - not sure how structural this is and whether it should be replaced?)