no concrete partition wall

hadepsx

hi, recently just moved into a terraced house, and it seems the walls each side of me are not concrete partition walls, its a timber build, but surely the builders would have put in concrete blocks between the houses for fire safety etc.
when i knock on walls they sound hollow, is this even legal. can i do anything about this, should i try to move etc, totally in the blue about this. thanks for your time and any advice.

archtech

Timber frame party walls are permitted subject to them meeting certain construction criteria. Do you know when the house was built?

DOCARCH

How old are the houses?

The party wall may be (solid) block but also may have plasterboard dabbed on to the wall - to finish the wall - this leaves a small void between the plasterboard and the blockwork so the wall can sound hollow when tapped.

If you go up to the attic you may or will get a better idea of the party wall construction (as up in the attic the wall is more than likely bare).

jjf1974

You could try drilling a small hole in it to see what its made of. If there is a switch or socket on the wall take of the cover this might allow2 you see whats behind it.

hadepsx

DOCARCH wrote: »

How old are the houses?

The party wall may be (solid) block but also may have plasterboard dabbed on to the wall - to finish the wall - this leaves a small void between the plasterboard and the blockwork so the wall can sound hollow when tapped.

If you go up to the attic you may or will get a better idea of the party wall construction (as up in the attic the wall is more than likely bare).

houses were built from approx 2006 onwards.
went up in attic, each side just looks like plaster board. and hollow

hadepsx

jjf1974 wrote: »

You could try drilling a small hole in it to see what its made of. If there is a switch or socket on the wall take of the cover this might allow2 you see whats behind it.

will try this tomor, bit late now to do it,thanks

archtech

hadepsx wrote: »

will try this tomor, bit late now to do it,thanks

I won't drill a hole you will only damage the integrity of the wall. Timber frame party walls within timber framed dwellings constructed around that timber are not unusual.

hadepsx

archtech wrote: »

I won't drill a hole you will only damage the integrity of the wall. Timber frame party walls within timber framed dwellings constructed around that timber are not unusual.

so your saying one hole will damage its integrity, sound integrity i hope,anything else and its a joke.
would having timber as your partition wall not be illegal/dangerous, even with high grade fireblock

gozunda

hadepsx wrote: »

so your saying one hole will damage its integrity, sound integrity i hope,anything else and its a joke.
isnt having timber as your partition wall not illegal/dangerous, even with high grade fireblock

Every time you drill an exterior wall in a timber frame house you actually will end up puncturing the membrane protecting the wood frame. Especially important to know this with timber frame houses In Irish conditions . Be very wary of drilling ad hoc holes and always check your plans ( if any) before you start

archtech

hadepsx wrote: »

so your saying one hole will damage its integrity, sound integrity i hope,anything else and its a joke.
would having timber as your partition wall not be illegal/dangerous, even with high grade fireblock

Sound and fire actually. Once the timber party wall has been correctly constructed it is an acceptable form of construction and achieves the fire resistance as set out within the building regulations. From a fire point of view I would have no issues living in a house with timber framed party walls.

archtech

gozunda wrote: »

Every time you drill an exterior wall in a timber frame house you actually will end up puncturing the membrane protecting the wood frame. Especially important to know this with timber frame houses In Irish conditions . Be very wary of drilling ad hoc holes and always check your plans ( if any) before you start

A valid point there regarding the membrane.

hadepsx

fair enough, thanks for the advice lads

hadepsx

went up to attic yesterday and had a look, from the pictures i took on camera phone you can see theres no sign of concrete blocks or even any type of fire proof membrain. the gap is approx 1 foot deep,hope the neighbours dont get a fire. does this look unusual to the more informed of you, thanks
pic 1 is directly looking in, while pic 2 is looking in to the right where you can see a timber 4x4.

archtech

Looking at those photos I would recommend that you should engage a professional to examine the construction in more detail.

hadepsx

so im fecked then basically is what your saying

archtech

I nor anybody else can give a definitive opinion without a physical inspection. The wall build up subject to the hole been repaired may or may not be adequate.

hadepsx

im not worried about the hole, sorry if im misunderstanding you, im concerned about the lack of fire protection between my neighbours house and mine, ie no concrete blocks/fireblock. i suspect the whole wall from top to bottom is just an empty gap, what could be done in this situation

A fella called fish

The plasterboard in itself will have a fire rating depending on its specification and thickness.

Best to get a fire consultant or Architect's opinion on the matter though.

archtech

An inspection by a competent professional will give you a definitive answer and solution if required.