Our services
Structural Repairs in Brighton & Hove
Cracks, bulging brickwork, dropped lintels and crumbling concrete are the sort of thing people put off because they are not sure how serious it is. Usually it is fixable, and usually it gets more expensive the longer it waits.
We carry out brick and concrete structural repairs across Brighton, Hove and Sussex, working to a structural engineer's design where the job calls for one.
What’s involved
What the job actually includes
Crack repair and stitching
Helical bar stitching and rebuilding where brickwork has cracked, dealing with the cause as well as the crack.
Lintel replacement
Replacing failed or missing lintels over windows and doors, propped properly while the work is done.
Wall tie replacement
Corroded cavity wall ties cause horizontal cracking and bulging. They get replaced rather than patched over.
Rebuilding brickwork
Taking down and rebuilding sections that are beyond repair, matched to the existing.
Concrete repair
Cutting out spalling concrete, treating the reinforcement and making good.
Underpinning
Where movement is down to the foundations, carried out to an engineer's design.
Local knowledge
Salt air and exposed elevations
Coastal exposure is hard on buildings. Salt-laden air accelerates corrosion of cavity wall ties and of reinforcement in concrete, and south westerly driving rain finds its way into any elevation that is not maintained. On Brighton and Hove's seafront and exposed streets we see wall tie failure and concrete spalling considerably earlier than you would inland. If you have horizontal cracking at regular intervals up a wall, that is usually wall ties rather than subsidence, and it is a different and far less alarming job.
Common questions
Structural Repairs: your questions answered
Is the crack in my wall serious?
Most are not, but some are. Width, direction, whether it is getting worse, and where it sits on the building all matter. We will come and look and tell you honestly, including when the answer is that it needs monitoring rather than fixing.
Do I need a structural engineer?
For anything involving movement, foundations or removing structure, yes, and we will say so. We then work to the engineer's design. For straightforward repairs such as a failed lintel it is often not necessary.
Will my insurance cover structural repairs?
Subsidence claims usually go through buildings insurance. Wear, corrosion and poor maintenance usually do not. We can tell you which category the damage looks like it falls into, though your insurer makes the decision.
How do I know if it is wall ties?
Horizontal cracking repeating roughly every six courses up the wall, often with bulging, is the classic sign in a cavity wall. It looks dramatic and is a well understood repair.
Planning a project? Let’s talk.
Free quotes and honest advice. No pressure, no obligation.