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Complex hidden repairs secure listed farmhouse

Client:	Private homeowner
Location:	Stoke St. Gregory, Somerset
Engineers:	Fairhurst Consulting Engineers
Approved Installer:	ASRS (Yeovil) Ltd
Reference No:	CS203

This Grade II listed, stone built, thatched farmhouse dates from the 17th century with later additions in the 18th and 20th centuries.

Various structural defects were identified including cracking and separation of the right hand gable from the rear elevation, possibly due to the removal of an inglenook fireplace, made worse by subsidence of the front right corner caused by tree roots.

There was lintel failure above ground floor windows in the front elevation and delamination of masonry in the left hand gable/chimney area. Damage also related to general aging and poor construction methods used during the various alterations, such as a lack of bonding in the walls at straight joints.

The Helifix Solution

With listed building consent obtained, Helifix was chosen to undertake the complex repairs due to its experience with lime mortar buildings, concealed installation techniques and ability to retain original materials.

â— Individual 1m HeliBars, bonded into mortar beds every six courses, were used to stitch cracks in the brickwork of the top half of the left hand gable, the full height of the right hand gable and a straight joint in the rear lower right hand gable. They were also used to reconnect the corner of the main house to the gable.

â— Pairs of long HeliBars were installed into mortar beds across both gables and most of the front elevation, above and below the internal floor joists, to create deep masonry beams using the original brickwork. Mirrored on the inside wall, the beams spread the structural loads, provided lateral restraint and created lintels above the ground floor windows.

â— HD BowTies were installed through both gable walls between the Helibeams, into noggins fixed between the floor joists, before being bonded into the wall to stabilise the masonry.

â— 22 grout-filled SockFix anchors were installed through the left hand gable and into the walls of the inglenook fireplace to ensure a strong bond in the outer 600mm thick rubble-filled walls.

The concealed repairs were completed quickly and efficiently. Rebuilding was avoided, original materials retained and the aesthetics of this Grade II listed building preserved.