What type of wall is my house?

user060916

How do you find out what sort of exterior wall a house is?

I presumed the exterior wall would be brick but it's not.

It's a standard 1980 build house, semi detached.

The exterior wall seems to be plasterboard attached to a wooden frame but also sometimes bricks.

Is there a "standard" from that era?

walshtipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319123/what-type-of-wall-is-my-house

Probably a block wall that has been dry lined.

walshtipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121269653#Comment_121269653

Yes, it is most common to dry line external walls.

ted1

Drill a hole and check.

my 84 semi d is Red brick, small cavity , 9 inch block, fibre covered in plastic, plasterboard finish

user060916

I've drilled a hole but it varies depending on where I drill.

In my last place it was all brick with plasterboard on top. Here it seems to be different

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121270014#Comment_121270014

Ok, well, describe it to us. What's the distance between the plasterboard and block? How deep is the block and could it be a cavity block ("breeze-block")? Have you encountered vertical studs (wooden frame) and how far apart are they... etc.

user060916

I was hoping there would be a standard for 1980s houses.

Some go plasterboard then air, some go plasterboard into timber and some go plasterboard into brick. All the same wall

Doop

Your external walls are likely to be cavity block for that age or cavity wall construction

The walls may have been drylined or studded out but you will still have block under it, you should know by knocking on it, hollow sound is studded out/drylined. Dull sound is plasterboard/plaster on block.

whizbang

Go up into your attic, ideally with a probe camera, otherwise tape your phone onto a stick and take a video of the tops of the walls. There will be timber wall plates along the tops of the blocks, see if theres a gap under these.

user060916

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121280879#Comment_121280879

No idea why that didn't cross my mind. Will do thanks

Mr321

Agree with the comments above. 1980s was cavity blocks.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319123/what-type-of-wall-is-my-house

It's possible that the interior wall detail varies according to exposure of the external wall to the elements i.e. sides facing prevailing winds and rain may differ from others.