"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert_my_surname_here wrote in message
. ..

"Andrew Mawson" wrote in message
...
Shortly after the Christmas pud has settled down I'll be starting work
on
my
new garage. The flank wall is 'half brick' with pillars ie approx 100mm
thick. Due to its length (7 metre) it needs an expansion joint. I
understand
that the conventional wisdom is to tie the two bit of wall together with
normal cavity wall ties 'along the length' of the wall, with one side
wrapped in a bit of dpc to let it slide.

My builders used a metal strip that screwed to the existing wall. That had
a
matching piece, with protruding ties, that was built into the new wall.
Apparently, the two parts have some movement relative to each other, but
they still hold the walls together against gross movements.

Colin Bignell



Colin thanks for your reply.

That is the wall starter tie kit that allows up and down movement yet holds
the new brickwork to an exisitng wall - I'm using those tying the new walls
to the house, but it's not quite the question that I asked !.

What I'm trying to find out is what is used as the spacer in lateral
expansion joints in long walls whilst they are being built. The two sections
of wall butt close together end to end, are prevented from moving sidewise
by normal wall ties fully bedded in a mortar joint on one wall section, but
wrapped in dpc in the other wall section to allow it to slide along the
length of the wall. Finally the joint is mastic filled to make it
weatherproof, but during building 'something' is used to ensure an 8mm gap
in the mortar.

Logically it has to be firm enough to keep the mortar out while setting the
bricks, but able to be squashed as the wall length changes with expansion.

If I cannot find what is 'proper' I intend to use slices of expanded
polystyrene.

Andrew Mawson