What do wall ties supervision gaps mean in Borama?

How do wall ties supervision gaps start on a Borama site?

Wall ties supervision gaps start when no one owns the tie schedule, so the tie is installed, covered, and never counted. On a Borama building the tie is the part that holds the outer leaf to the inner leaf, the wall to the frame, or the two skins of a cavity wall together. When one bricklayer runs the leaf and another follows behind, the tie position depends on whoever remembers it. Supervision gaps can show up as ties left out, set at the wrong height or spacing, fixed into one leaf only, or laid flat in the joint. A written tie schedule with spacing, embedment depth and type, signed off by the project engineer, removes the guesswork. Ask the design engineer whether the project's specification names tie type and spacing, or whether the site is expected to copy a detail from a drawing. Confirm the answer in writing before masonry starts.

What does poor wall restraint do to the finished wall?

Poor wall restraint leaves the outer leaf free to move on its own, and the crack opens where the leaves were supposed to act together. A wall that should behave as one panel splits into two thin panels, each with less stiffness. Wind pressure and thermal movement then push and pull the outer leaf, and the visible result is horizontal or stepped cracking, bulging at the top of a gable, or movement around openings. Where a gap opens along a tie, water can track into the inner leaf; a tie laid flat in the joint can carry that water straight inside. Local exposure conditions, including wind-driven rain and salt, can make that path worse, so confirm the exposure assumed in the project's specification or ask the engineer what exposure the tie detail is designed for. Cracks are not proof of a tie failure on their own; they are a reason to open a small panel or use a borescope at the suspect height. General practice ties the leaves with a slight fall to the outer leaf, and a drip that stops water crossing the cavity. Confirm the required fall and embedment against the project's specification or engineer before you accept the work.

How do you detect missed ties before handover?

You detect missed ties by inspecting the cavity before it is closed, not after the render is on. Once the second leaf is up and the wall is plastered, the tie is invisible, so detection depends on records and staged checks. Build a simple record: a tie schedule per elevation, a dated photograph of the cavity at each lift, and a signature from the supervisor before the next leaf covers that section. A supervisor can then walk the record and ask three questions: was every specified tie installed, was each tie fixed into both leaves to the required embedment, and does each tie fall outward with a drip? Check what the contract says about inspection notice, because the client or their engineer may have the right to inspect the cavity before closing. If the record is missing, the honest answer is that the tie condition is unknown, and the client should ask for a targeted opening at one location rather than accept a verbal assurance.

What to do next

Before the next leaf goes up, ask the contractor for the tie schedule for one elevation and a dated photograph of the cavity at the last lift. Walk that elevation with your own copy of the schedule and count the ties against it. If either record is missing, write to the project engineer and ask for a cavity inspection before the leaf is closed. Keep the reply with the project file.