Cracks between Old and New Walls
I received an enquiry from a reader concerned about a crack from floor to ceiling between and old and new wall, especially since the crack was so wide you could see right through.
10/03/2019
There are many instances where old and new walls aren't tied together. In this particular instance, I was contacted by a reader concerned by a large crack that had appeared - from floor to ceiling - along the wall for a new addition added to his home.
From the images provided and the fact that the crack runs from ceiling to floor, you can clearly see that the new bricks were not in any way tied into the existing brick wall.
When adding a wall for any type of addition or extension, there are several ways of tying the two together. Using the method for 'toothing' the two walls is one option and you will find more information on this method here, while a second method is to use steel bars or fittings to tie the old and new walls together.
Below I have included a video of what happens when an existing wall and a new wall are not tied together. For some strange reason there is very limited information on this matter on the Internet and yet, it is such an important factor to attend to when joining old and new walls when adding an extension or new addition to any wall.
The video below shows how the walls on a new addition are pulling away and separating.
The video below is a fast timeline on adding an extension to an existing home, and it clearly shows how the new addition is tied into the existing house walls.