sleeper wall butchery

[TheRoost]

I discovered this a while ago, they are the support walls for the floor joists in our hallway. To the left side is roughly the bottom of the staircase, the wall to the right is the wall of the reception rooms. I've noticed lately when walking over it there's the occasional 'clunk' so I think I need to repair the bits that have been messed about with.

In the top picture, it looks as though at some point in the past a iron pipe has been installed (redundant, old gas?), they had knocked out the bricks, slotted in the pipe then roughly shoved the bricks back in dry, on a slope. The half brick isn't even flat so all the load is on a knife edge and it could of all sunk a bit over time.

I'm wondering if I should support the joists (using short acrow props/trench struts) then remove all the loose brickwork/old pipe, rebuild it with lime mortar, then remove the props when set.

Or, should I just fill the gaps with cut bricks and mortar, and add a timber support post as a backup?

Opinions greatly appreciated, am I fussing too much?

Andy

 

[Zebra]

The first option is what I think I would do. Fussing too much? No. Do a proper repair now and it will be put right for the future.
There's not much brickwork to support that timber on though is there? I don't quite understand how the two pictures relate to each other. Maybe it could do with a vertical support as well, but a timber one might not last too long down there.
Better make sure sure what that pipe is though before introducing the hacksaw to it!

 

[steveb]

I think in your heart you know the answer.. At least it looks like you have enough room to work in there! Do it properly and as Zebra says, don't use wood as it will rot where it contacts the ground and sag. As you say, pop out the loose bricks, replace and render them in and let it set.

I once cut what was a disused gas pipe with a hacksaw and discovered that some later creative spark had then re-purposed it as a conduit for a power cable... luckily it tripped the RCD with a whimper rather than a flash-bang moment, otherwise I might have put my head right through the floorboards above in fright!

 

[Feltwell]

I agree do the job so it gives proper support, but personally this is one place where I wouldn't bother with lime mortar. No need for it to be breathable and cement mortar will make for a quicker job.

I've got a hole in one of the internal walls under my floor where an electrician or plumber bashed through to get from one room to another without lifting floorboards - it's a big enough hole to crawl through. It's still useful for that purpose now - but I really should get around to putting a lintel in one day!

 

[TheRoost]

The first option is what I think I would do. Fussing too much? No. Do a proper repair now and it will be put right for the future.
There's not much brickwork to support that timber on though is there? I don't quite understand how the two pictures relate to each other. Maybe it could do with a vertical support as well, but a timber one might not last too long down there.
Better make sure sure what that pipe is though before introducing the hacksaw to it!

I should of explained, the second picture is another sleeper wall further along, just another example of dodgy workmanship!

All the lintels down there seem to be resting on just half a brick, and our back door with windows either side is all spanned with a rather large long timber lintel , again just resting on half a brick at each end!

Convinced now that I should spend the time and repair it properly. At the base of each wall is a dry stone or concrete plinth that I could use to sit an extra vertical support on. I'll leave the pipe alone unless I can see both open ends of it, and it's definitely unused.

I agree do the job so it gives proper support, but personally this is one place where I wouldn't bother with lime mortar. No need for it to be breathable and cement mortar will make for a quicker job.

It did cross my mind to use cement, particularly as no one around here stocks lime, I've run out and delivery is expensive. Maybe a weak cement mix with the spare sand that the Victorian builders left down here in piles