Wooden beam in brickwork.

[BayTree]

Hello Everybody,

We have just moved into a old (c1830) Cottage with the aim of tidying it up over the coming years. It is a bit tatty around the edges and has been extended and re-arranged many times over the years, so a bit of a Mongrel. Described by our Surveyor as "a voyage of discovery". I guess this means I will be a regular visitor to this forum as I look for solutions and explainations of each discovery!


My staring point today is one of the upper end walls. (Pictures below, hope they are visible for everyone) The wall is single brick, and in a bit of a state. My first question : There are wooden "beams" in the brickwork on each side. I'm guessing these are to help tie-in the roof beams ? You can see the end of a londitudinal roof beam in the photo of the window. Has anybody come across anything similar ? Should they be covered or treated in some way ( Render, paint ) ?

Thanks for your help,

Tim.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Bump.

And Welcome to the forum Baytree. I'm afraid for some reason first posts from newcomers seem to languish for a while (maybe they get moderated?)

Anyhows, someone will be along shortly to help.

 

[skier-hughes]

Anything you do wants to retain it's breathability, so if it gets wet it can dry out.
Using more natural paints like linseed ones, administering linseed oil or an osmo wood treatment, or if you do render it, do it in lime, but that I think will look a bit odd with bare brick.

Modern varnish once cracked will let in moisture and not let it out, same for gloss type paints and cement.

 

[Johnboy]

Welcome to the forum, you will find a lot of very helpful people and some really sound advice here.

 

[BayTree]

Thanks for the Welcome

...I'm afraid for some reason first posts from newcomers seem to languish for a while (maybe they get moderated?)

Yes, I got an automated email saying my post was awaiting authorisation by an Admin.



As is always the case, now that I have noticed the first instance, I am quickly starting to see more places where there seem to be pieces of wood set in the brickwork. Some just single "bricks" and some longer pieces. Some are covered in a motar (can't tell if it is cement or lime), some painted, some just bare.

I'll keep investigating....

Thanks,
Tim.

 

[Penners]

Hello and welcome, Baytree.

I wonder whether that stub-end may once have been a tie-beam between the ends of the final rafters. However - and I'm speculating here if course - maybe when that window was installed, someone decided to dispense with such superfluous luxuries as preventing the spread of the roof! I not being entirely serious of course, and if the end pair of rafters sit on top of that gable-end brickwork, then I don't really think you have much to worry about when it comes to roof spread.

I'm no expert, but I'm quite surprised that beams would have been inserted in the gable end like that, exposed to the elements. Is it possible that the house was once a bit longer, and that the tie was inside the attic?

Whatever its history, I suggest that you (a) do as skier-hughes suggests above and ensure that you retain the breathability of the pieces of timber and (b) do a thorough re-pointing job on that gable-end brickwork. It looks to be somewhat deteriorated in some places. In due course I think you'll probably have to replace those spalled bricks, too.

We look forward to hearing more about your house and your plans for it.

 

[robgil]

I dont think the bricks above it could be tied in properly when the window was inserted, so the timber is holding that corner together , the bricks ontop are simply to fill the gap.
Interesting nails , they look like nails for lath , or for a key for render/plaster.

 

[skier-hughes]

If you think those spalled bricks need replacing you need to come and look at mine

 

[Penners]

Ooh yes, Graham - that sounds well worth an 8-hour round trip to Staffordshire! :wink:

 

[middi]

When brickwork became the popular choise of building elevations that gradually superseeded the " wooden" structures of yesteryear, the bricks ( or masonary)were invariably assembled using subsoil based mortar and eventually lime and sand based. In the earlier brick buildings it was quite common to " stabilise" the elevation for a coupkle of valid reasons, 1)- they "stabilised" the elevation toghether whilst the work progressed as the " mortar" would have not been cured enough to add more load to it. 2)- it was quite obvious that ease of attachment could be made to these " inserted beams" within the brickwork allowing for a good loading hold within the structure.
These " wood additions" were very common in the earlier brick buildings, sometime spanning the entire face of the brick facade in two or three places in a single elevation. this was a natural progression from wooden structures that were brick infilled and a learning curve.
These " wood additions" were progressively phased out when around the 1900's they realised the as the wood rotted the brick walls would collapse and the " newer" generations were left with " crying baby"
In the " thicker walls" and more important houses of earlier brick built elevation, wooden inserts would have been less common and some inserts would have been confined to just the inner or outer brick course and purely for " attaching" utensils as required by the contemporary times. If or when these inserts rotted away the process of replace or repair is not such a big problem due to the rather thicker walls. Obviously more dangerous and more labour intensive to repair when extra " stabilising" wood was inserted into single brick facades.
If and when these old additions are found, and appear to be rotten, the building suveyor instinct is to remove them and repair with similar bricks and strenghten with iron if required. Whilst this is an ideal way to repair from a stability point of view, it is not so from a conservation and authenticity point of view.
This is when a structual survey is woth it's money and a consultation with a conservation officer very useful if so required.
Middi