The structural stabilization using modern technology
High-level masonry restoration requires more than practical skill—it demands the ability to assess, design, and implement repair strategies that align with the specific structural and material conditions of each project. Professionals like Alan Pettingale bring extensive experience across a full range of specialized repair techniques, enabling accurate diagnosis and the selection of the most effective, building-specific solutions.
Structures of any age or style can develop faults caused by environmental exposure, material degradation, design limitations, or prior alterations. Addressing these issues calls for fluency in both traditional construction methods and modern stabilization techniques, coupled with an understanding of the building’s original specifications, detailing, and material compatibility.
A complete restoration toolkit may include dry and wet diamond core drilling, customengineered structural anchoring, masonry reinforcement, repinning and tying of multiwythe walls, cavity wall tie replacement, and both resin and cementitious crack repair. Precision repointing with color-matched mortar ensures visual continuity alongside structural integrity. Materials—anchors, bars, ties, plates, grouts, and resins—are selected from multiple manufacturers to suit the project’s engineering requirements, performance criteria, and budget constraints.
Ultimately, these operations are not just mechanical tasks; they are targeted interventions requiring engineering judgment, material science expertise, and craftsmanship to deliver durable, context-appropriate repairs that preserve both function and form.
Failing Brickwork Above Windows
Structural integrity can be successfully restored to lintels of all construction types that have lost their load-bearing capacity. The optimal repair solution depends on the severity of the failure and the surrounding substrate conditions. Often, a combination of these techniques is required to provide a durable and sympathetic repair that ensures long-term structural performance without altering the building’s appearance or character.
• Vertical reinforcement: Tying the lintel into the masonry above to redistribute loads
Masonry beam creation: Constructing a reinforced masonry beam above the opening
• Horizontal anchoring: Installing horizontal steel or composite anchors through the lintel span
• Helical bar reinforcement: Embedding stainless steel helical ties to restore tensile strength
• Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems: Applying high-strength composite materials to enhance structural capacity
• Threaded bar systems: Grouting threaded rods into place for high-load applications
Lintels can fail in different ways
Caused by the faulty construction or the corrosion of mild steel ties, wall tie failure is a widespread but often unrecognized problem which can lead to serious structural collapse. Installing replacement cavity wall ties, without disfiguring the building, is now a relatively routine operation with many types of stainless-steel ties. Existing ties can be removed to avoid future problems with continued expansion and cracking.
Where solid masonry has delaminated or facing bricks become unstable, these can be secured to the main structure by using a variety of remedial cavity wall ties or pins. Knowing how to locate existing wall ties using a specialized metal detector is an essential first step in the investigation. With so many wall ties available on the market, years of knowledge and training will help you make the right decision, working closely with engineers, architects and specifiers.
Stabilizing external walls
These occur for several reasons: outward thrust resulting from roof spread; lower walls not sufficiently tied in; weak or blown mortar; insufficient or failed wall ties; inadequate size walls relative to the building height. Various solutions are available to stabilize the wall an prevent further outward movement.
Tie bars can be installed between or through the floor joists across the entire width of the building and be provided with concealed termination points inside the masonry. Tie bars installed internally and secured with a plate to interior face of masonry.
Full width tie bars terminated with external pattress plates, normally considered visually obtrusive. Where a through fixing like a tie bar cannot be used, such as a gable end wall, lateral restraint is provided by integrating grouted anchors with the floor structure. Hidden straps secured to the joints and the internal face of the masonry. Self tapping mechanical rod installed through the wall and into the floor joints before bonding with the masonry.
Separated bays
Bay structures are often weak and of a delicate construction which can result in them settling, cracking, and becoming separated from the main structure, which may also lead to lintel problems. Depending on how serious the failure is, the bay is totally reinforced using appropriate grouted ties and bars and then tied back to the main structure using anchors secured to the floor joists.
In many older buildings the walls are constructed from an inner and outer stone or masonry leaf with a loose rubble infill. If the core material compacts and settles the outer leaves can begin to bulge.
In more substantial structures the wall can be stabilized by means of grouted ties or anchors installed from one leaf into the other and the voids grouted; in weaker material it may require many smaller ties and pins, together with controlled grouting, to reinforce and stabilize the wall.
Separated external walls and party walls
Although not a particularly difficult structural problem to solve this can often produce a complex situation involving property managers, businesses, flat owners and all their various professional advisers leading to party wall awards. We have satisfactorily dealt with several such projects by working at odd hours to suite all parties and taking additional care to cause only the minimum disturbance to the fabric or the occupants.Following non-vibration dry diamond drilling using no water, the party wall is stabilized and bonded to the external wall by installing suitable grouted anchors which employ a sock system that allows the volume of grout to be carefully controlled. The anchors are fully concealed, and all work is undertaken externally.