Sky Hooks!

Now I can never see a tie bar without having a bit of a chuckle! This is because many years ago I looked at a property that a client was intending to buy which had tie bars inserted. As was my standard practice I advised the client contact their insurers to inform them of the tie bars and see if it made any difference to the proposed insurance premium.

They rang me somewhat distressed saying that the insurers were happy to cover the property but that subsidence would be excluded because of the tie bar! We discussed it and I said I would speak to the insurers (pre data protection rubbish) which I duly did.
I had to explain to the school boy on the end of the phone that the only way that a tie bar could prevent subsidence was that if it were attached to a sky hook! He then asked if this was the case......!

I proceeded to explain that sky hooks were a figment of the imagination and that in any event the tie bar was horizontal to the ground and not vertical. Eventually I think he understood that I was taking the p** and said he would check higher up his food chain and get back to the clients and then hung up.

I think that the insurance was granted! Hence my chuckle when I spotted this one.

(for those that don't know a tie bar prevents outward movement of walls which can be caused by many factors including roof thrust and leaf separation in old stone rubble walls. It usually occurs when inadequate cross walling is provided or cross walls have been removed - so now its all perfectly clear...)