Do you build the inner leaf and the outer leaf together?
Usually, yes. Running both leaves up together is how the ties, insulation and trays end up right, and it is quicker than coming back to a wall that has been sitting open. On some sites the programme wants the inner leaf first and we will work that way instead.
Can you work to an engineer’s drawing?
Yes, and we would rather have the engineer’s drawing than a general arrangement. Padstones, bearings, tie centres and movement joints all come off it. If something on it cannot be built as drawn we raise it with you before we work around it.
Do you do thin joint blockwork?
Yes, where the spec calls for it. It is faster and gives a flatter face for the plasterer, but it needs the first course to be dead level, so the setting out matters more, not less. We will tell you whether it is worth it for your job.
What about movement joints?
They go where the drawings and the block manufacturer say, which is not always where they are convenient. Missing or badly placed movement joints are one of the most common causes of cracking a year or two after handover, so they get built rather than negotiated away.
Will the walls be ready for the plasterer?
That is the aim. Flat, plumb blockwork with tight joints means a dot and dab or a float coat goes on at a sensible thickness. If a wall is out because of something that happened before we got there, we will tell you rather than quietly bury it.
