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Repair of rubble-filled brick walls with lime render to Irish Country House

Client:	Private Homeowner
Location:	County Meath, Ireland
Approved Installer:	Oldstone
Reference No:	PR199

A privately owned 19th century Irish country house, in County Meath, required major restoration to solve various structural faults. Being a protected building it required non-disruptive solutions, which retained the original building materials, so the project engineer approached Helifix who designed a suitable repair scheme.

Constructed in typical local style for the period, with rubble-filled brick walls with an exterior lime render varying in width between 600-800mm, the house was found to have multiple faults including failed timber and stone lintels and brick arches, cracked and bulging walls and de-bonding of the render.

The consultant engineers, EJC Design, contacted the local Helifix Approved Installer, Oldstone, who undertook the various repairs devised by Helifix engineers. To reinstate the brick arches, HeliBars were bonded into channelled-out mortar beds at two levels above each opening to form masonry beams, which reinforced and stabilised the masonry. CemTies were then installed vertically through the arches and into the masonry above to make them fully secure.

HeliBars were also installed above the windows to create masonry beams, spread the structural loads and provide support. Grouted CemTies were installed, above and down both sides of all openings, to stabilise the delaminated rubble-filled walls throughout the property and provide additional structural support above the doors and windows which allowed the failed lintels to be replaced. Crack stitching was carried out in various locations using 1m long HeliBars bonded into the mortar beds. To secure the debonded external lime render, special Dryfix render pins were installed at varying centres to tie it back to the wall and conserve this historically important render.

On completion, structural integrity had been fully restored to this historic house with all original materials retained and with no visible signs of the concealed cost-effective repairs that had taken place.