Established in 1978, we are a full-service specialty construction company servicing Western North Carolina. Our restoration team of skilled craftsmen have successfully integrated old-world craftsmanship with modern building techniques to provide high-quality work at a fair competitive price.

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This site gives an overview of some of the most common problems householders face, describes some of the repair strategies available and outlines the importance of seeking expert advice for individual projects.

CAVITY WALL TIES     CRACK STITCHING     COLLAPSING STRUCTURES     FOUNDATION FAILURE     
LINTEL REPAIR      STRUCTURAL ANCHORING      WALL RESTORATION

 
Buildings can move for a variety of reasons-Including;

• Ground movement or subsidence

  • Inadequately restrained or tied walls

    • Movement brought on by water ingress into the structure

      • Failed lintels or building materials

        • Movement fatigue

          • Mechanical impact or disturbance

            • Incorrect or poor building techniques

 

CAVITY WALL TIES: Wall ties, sometimes called ‘brick ties’, are used in buildings with cavity walls. They are used to join the two leaves of a cavity wall together, allowing the two parts to act as a homogeneous unit. Hidden from view after construction, wall ties play a vital role in ensuring the stability of a building. Wall ties and anchors are an essential part of your masonry tool box, providing the strength and support needed to conjoin two structures. 

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CRACK STITCHING: This type of STRUCTURAL REPAIR when done properly provides a permanent resolution for fixing cracks in brick walls and for properties suffering with cracks in the masonry and in the mortar bed joints.. How's this accomplished, when STITCHING together cracked / broken brick walls usually requires using a fluid form of concrete into the bed joint, overlapping the crack in the wall the same way you would use thread to stitch together two pieces of cloth. This repair method is very resilient and offers a cost effective solution.

 

COLLAPSING STRUCTURES: Buildings, like all structures, are designed to support certain loads without deforming excessively. The loads are the weights of people and objects, the weight of rain and snow and the pressure of wind--called live loads--and the dead load of the building itself. With buildings of a few floors, strength generally accompanies sufficient rigidity, and the design is mainly that of a roof that will keep the weather out while spanning large open spaces. With tall buildings of many floors, the roof is a minor matter, and the support of the weight of the building itself is the main consideration. Like long bridges, tall buildings are subject to catastrophic collapse.

 

FOUNDATION FAILURE: Walls with severe structural damage will show additional horizontal cracks, shearing, and bowing as time progresses, and in some cases, the only way to repair the problem is to completely remove and rebuild the foundation wall. This process requires quite a bit of work, with the process beginning in your yard.  Before the foundation is excavated, the yard around your foundation must be removed.  This includes all landscaping such as gardens, steps, walkways, foliage, and everything else located along the foundation.  Then the foundation will be excavated, with the removed soil being laid in mounds around the house. 

 

Temporary supports will be put in place as the foundation walls are removed and replaced. When the job is completed, the landscaping and dirt can be returned.  A year later, this soil will settle and must be regraded. Again, this is sometimes the only thing that can be done for a failing foundation.  However, this solution is very expensive, invasive, and disruptive when installed.  Additionally, the process merely replaces the foundation that failed.  If you haven’t taken any measures to address the problem that damaged the foundation in the first place, it’s likely that this foundation will fail, just as the previous one did..

 

The causes of building collapse can be classified under these 6 (six) general headings to facilitate analysis. These headings are:

Bad Design   -   Combination of Causes   -   Extraordinary Loads

     Faulty Construction   --   Foundation Failure   --   Unexpected Failure Modes

 

PLEASE NOYE: That unwanted movement in buildings can cause a great deal of distress and worry for property owners. Subsidence, physical disturbance and a failure of building materials, are just some of the factors that can impact on the structural integrity of a property. Fortunately, while there are many reasons why a building can move, modern repair technology and advances in application techniques, mean that effective solutions are on hand to tackle the problem.

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By the time you’ve begun to notice bowing or buckling in your basement walls, there’s a good chance that this situation has been present for a very long time.  Bowing walls occur most often due to the force of HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE! 
 
Then what is Hydrostatic pressure - the pressure increases in proportion to depth measured from the surface because of the increasing weight of fluid exerting downward force from above.  So what this means, when water presses against the basement walls, the weight against the walls exceeds the walls capacity. 
 
Walls can also bow and fail when expansive clay's or frost cause expansion of the soils to fatigue and damage the wall.
 
Cracking, bowing, and buckling foundations are indicators of a serious problem for a homeowner.  However, while these problems should always be taken seriously and repaired as soon as possible, replacement of the foundation is not the only option available.  In fact, it’s usually not the best one.
 

LINTEL REPAIR:  Are a serious type of STRUCTURAL REPAIR issue that can greatly affect your property. Lintels are used above openings in walls, doors and windows to support the weight above. What this could mean, if your property is suffering cracks above or below these openings, then it could suggest a weakening of the lintel that is holding the weight and needs to be repaired.Repairs carried out using lintel reinforcement prevent the potential collapse of the external outer masonry, provide resistance against further cracking and strengthen the structure of the masonry as well as offering minimum disruption and a long-term solution.

 

STRUCTURAL ANCHORING: This type of STRUCTURAL REPAIR uses mechanically grouted masonry anchors and a sock system to stabilise damaged masonry. These are specifically designed for each project and are highly versatile. STRUCTURAL ANCHORING provides a highly effective in poor quality materials, and for bridging openings in walls or structures. The anchoring system can be used on an array of materials, from stone, concrete, clay, terra cotta, adobe and even timber. It can also be used underwater and in weak substrates.

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If you want to, "Fix the Problem with the CORRECT solutions," then hire an expert.
SGT Structural Repair has over 45 years of real world experiences.
Call Bill Sargent TODAY (828) 484-9713.

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