Over many years the owners had been watching the cracks throughout their beautiful 100 year old brick residence in Ashfield, NSW getting larger and more numerous. They felt powerless to do anything but continually paint and patch over them, only to find the cracks re-appear in no time. Helitec were called in to undertake masonry walls structural repairs.

The owners finally contacted Helitec to assess what could be done within their budget, to try to find a more permanent solution the building problem.

A combination of shallow footings, reactive clay foundations, drainage and stormwater problems and age of the building had contributed to severe cracking and destabilisation of the building. Some internal walls were separating from the external walls and the multiple cracks had reduced the flexural strength of the brickwork in many locations to zero.  The cracked walls were all acting and moving independent to one another with even minor changes in the foundation moisture levels. This building needed masonry walls structural repairs.

Helitec helped to devise a plan to address the underlying problems and to strengthen, repair and reinforce the affected brickwork to reinstate the “deep-beam” action of the walls, which is critical in buildings where shallow footings and weak or reactive foundations are present.

Following extensive internal and external repairs by the Helitec team and rectification of the site drainage and stormwater issues, the historic home has again been stabilised and brought back to its former glory and ready again to provide many more years of enjoyment and comfort for its owners.

Contact us if you would like further information or if you would like to discuss your own building problem or project by Email or Telephone on 1300 234 450. Our friendly and helpful staff are eager to talk to you about your masonry walls structural repairs.

Learn more about Why Buildings Crack on our Blog