missing bricks!

smk77

I've recently had a problem with a rat that had found its way into our house. I discovered that it had got in by digging a hole at the wall. I've got rid of the rat now, however, on proper inspection and a bit of a digging around the area I discovered that there are bricks missing..see the photo below.



This definitely does not look right to me! The house is a 5 yr old new build so covered by NHBC. The gap has been filled with bricks and cement so that there are no more unwelcome visitors, however, I really feel that his needs to be investigated.Are there any building experts in here who could advise me?

yan1

Looks like maybe a soil pipe coming out the house, and the big gap is where its been built over to bridge it. Shouldn't be like that. There should be a little movement allowance, but that is just lazy!

smk77

yan1 wrote: »

Looks like maybe a soil pipe coming out the house, and the big gap is where its been built over to bridge it. Shouldn't be like that. There should be a little movement allowance, but that is just lazy!

Thanks for that. My next door neighbour has the same problem....very lazy!

I'm annoyed about it because I've spent time and money getting rid of a rat which gained access to our house through the builder's laziness. I've got a 2 yr old son and pregnant wife (who is too scared to go outside to put rubbish in the wheelie bin) who could have picked up something nasty from the rat.

iveco_man

this is the way its been done for a while brickie bridges the pipework with lintels. because on the drawing pipe runs are marked , brickie builds, pipes go in last through left apitures. Not lazy like Yan 1 says

Barneysmom

Wouldn't the builder go round after and brick up that big gap?

yan1

Barneysmom wrote: »

Wouldn't the builder go round after and brick up that big gap?

Should do. If its a block and beam floor construction the pipes definately go in first and bricked afterwards. Lazy.

smk77

Does this photo I took during the build answer the construction method question?

The red line points to the rat entry point!

diable

Maybe the brick was there but the rat had access to a club hammer and chisel?

iveco_man

yan1 wrote: »

Should do. If its a block and beam floor construction the pipes definately go in first and bricked afterwards. Lazy.

not in the 31 years ive been a bricklayer ground work covers it

darich

iveco_man wrote: »

this is the way its been done for a while brickie bridges the pipework with lintels.

there is no lintel shown in the image posted though.

dander

smk77 wrote: »

I've got a 2 yr old son and pregnant wife (who is too scared to go outside to put rubbish in the wheelie bin)

Good grief.