Catnic thin-joint lintels help Fromebridge build smarter

Despite being well established on the continent, the use of thin joint blockwork is something large sections of the UK building industry are still to embrace the advantages of.

One contractor and developer is, however, making full use of the technology - and the special Catnic lintels designed to work with adhesive bonded aircrete blocks - on a project in Gloucestershire.

Fromebridge Construction is building eight new homes on a brownfield site in Stroud on behalf of its client, Walsh Homes Ltd.

The four bedroom homes are being built with sustainability in mind and the 300mm wide wall construction helps to achieve excellent U values and an improvement in excess of 10% on 2010 Building Regulations.

Mr Jim Parkes, the Senior Buyer for Fromebridge Construction, commented: “The site on Upper Leases road in Stroud was formerly occupied by an engineering works, and had been cleared to make way for the eight high specification homes.

“Although very few contractors have adopted thin-joint blockwork, we have been using it for five years; originally attracted by the speed of build which enables us to get on with the interior fit out far earlier.

"This alternative to traditional mortar laying techniques also offers improved insulation values and better standards of airtightness. We have always used Catnic lintels and this project was no different. Their CTJ90 product was specified here as the most suitable solution and complimented our building requirements perfectly.”

All of the lintels have been supplied, along with other building materials, to Fromebridge Construction through Kellaway Building Supplies at Stonehouse in Gloucester.

Ricky Price of Kellaway observes: “We have been selling Catnic lintels for a couple of years now and get very good support from the manufacturer. In fact we were provided with a new display rack three months ago, which has helped create extra interest and looks really good. As a general merchant we cover the whole of Gloucestershire and are supplying Fromebridge with a wide cross section of materials on this contact.”

The Thin joint lintels are formed in two parts to combat cold bridging, and while the overall wall width being built by Fromebridge is 305mm, the CTJ90 range is able to suit cavity widths from 90 to 105mm.

The inner leaf support is achieved using a standard Catnic Box lintel, eliminating the need for propping during construction as the outer leaf lintel is attached later using the manufacturer’s unique plastic fixings connection. The CTJ90 also closes the cavity, removing the need for an additional profile in this position.

This arrangement achieves reduced thermal bridging at the window head and the CTJ90 is suitable for use with a wide range of thin joint construction blocks.