Helifix

Channel 4’s ‘Grand Designs’ featured Helifix masonry repair techniques to retain a 300 year old dilapidated stone barn. Built with rubble-filled Cotswold Stone walls, some 600mm thick, the unstable barn needed to be consolidated and strengthened to protect it during construction of the new subterranean house. The walls were consolidated by using 140 grouted CemTies. The installation of 340m of Helibeam reinforcement then created ring-beams around the structure. Existing window and door openings were temporarily blocked to permit continuity of the HeliBars, which were later cut and embedded into the reveals.

A 150yr old stone built cottage had developed structural faults. The archway entrance was failing due to inadequate support causing distortion of the arch pier, the front door to jam and masonry cracking in the archway walls. HD BowTies were installed through the front elevation stonework and the first two floor joists to provide lateral restraint. HeliBars were bonded into the mortar beds to create masonry beams which assisted in distributing the loads above the arch. Crack stitching was undertaken to repair and stabilise the archway wall which was also secured to the internal cross wall with grouted CemTies.