Ashlar Cut Turbo Block Renovation
Manchester

Job Info

Single Skinned Post-WWII Construction Design. Block resurfacing using specially designed high-strength mortar with a range of conditioning additives to improve the strength and character of the finish.

Remedial / Integral Works

Custom mixed washed sharp sand with soft building sand at a specific ratio. Added glue, waterproofer, fibreglass 'short fibres' and Hydrated Lime to improve strength whilst also remaining flexible and hardy.

Required special care. There is no 'out of the box solution' for repairing these types of structures. The block on the gable end had 'split' and was only discovered during the course of the works. The internal and external faces of the halves of each block were 'tied back together' using 10mm thick threaded steel rods cut to size on site. We carefully drilled through the front of each block and into the other half of the block (internal facing skin), then installed 2 of the steel rods in opposing diagonal fashion, fixed in place using epoxy resin.

Turbo Block Renovation with Ashlar Cut Render

The full gable end wall was repaired using this custom/bespoke technique. We set the rods out in a matrix fashion to ensure lat/long strength and counter-fixing. Prior to the aesthetic resurfacing phase, we made sure the integrity of the structure was sound. This particular job was quite difficult and the customer was understandably very stressed when the damage to the gable end wall was discovered and reported to them. One evening during the course of the works, and not long after discovering the issue and reporting to him the dynamics of the situation and a proposed solution, i got a phone call from him going berserk. I had to remind him that the issue was there before we began and that ignoring it wasn't going to fix it, and as much as it represented an issue to both of us, it wasn't something i was willing to overlook due to the sheer levels of danger in leaving it as is.

Underway

We used a pointing mortar that was slightly softer than the resurfacing mortar in order to maintain the fundamentals of the walls design; Sturdy, flexible, tolerant to expansion and contraction from weather and internal use that can adversely affect the behaviour of the wall, especially in situation where the external skin is subject to extreme cold and the very opposite if someone has the heating on or is cooking in the Kitchen etc.

Pointing

We used a pointing mortar that was slightly softer than the resurfacing mortar in order to maintain the fundamentals of the walls design; Sturdy, flexible, tolerant to expansion and contraction from weather and internal use that can adversely affect the behaviour of the wall, especially in situation where the external skin is subject to extreme cold and the very opposite if someone has the heating on or is cooking in the Kitchen etc.

Notes

We finalised with a solvent based watersealing solution and provided the customer with a small 'after care pack' which included samples of the different sand types used in the resurfacing and pointing mortar including specific instructions on ratios and further after care options should they look to make changes to external skins aesthetics in the future.