Air brick help

trixsta91

Hello 
Iv been trying to research this, recently found a nice property end of terrace house however its got these 3 circles in the wall outside with the air brick literally on the ground, is this a concern for flooding and what are these holes 3 holes for? . Could this be fixed ?

jimbog

It looks like the tarmac is new and is now reaching up to the original air brick 

FreeBear

Looks like one of those Holland Damp control devices... https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-damp-con-collection/holland-damp-proofing-system-another-expensive-fraud.html

If they only go a few inches in to the wall, then that's what they are. A waste of money, piggin' ugly, and don't work. It also looks like a chemical DPC has been injected in to the row of bricks just above the (cement ?) plinth.. I'd suggest getting a few matching bricks from a local building reclamation yard, a bag of NHL3.5 lime + sand (or buy a ready mix from the likes of Mike Wye). Carefully cut out the damaged bricks (a plasterboard pad saw is good for lime mortar), and replace them.

While you have the tools out, put a French drain in along that wall if you own the strip of tarmac - Negotiate with the neighbour if you don't.

As you are possibly purchasing this property, ask if any damp proofing work has been done. If they have had the full works, the internal wall will probably had waterproof cement/plaster slapped on up to a height of one metre - Possibly the worst thing to do with a solid brick wall. Ideally, it will want stripping right back and replastered with lime. The right fix would have been to deal with the penetrating damp from outside - Most likely the tarmac is the culprit, and the cement plinth isn't helping by bridging the DPC.

Slithery

Try asking on the In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving board. This doesn't really have anything to do with buying or selling property.

notrouble

What's behind the wall? Those round holes are typically used where there is soil (eg a flower bed or higher ground) behind the wall. They allow water in the soil to drain out through the wall.

If it's the wall to the property with a room the other side, it's hard to see where the damp proof course is. Perhaps along the line where the white paint is? Also where is the internal floor level? Above or below the level of the round holes....?

I agree the tarmac appears to have raised the ground level. If that's a drive, is it wide enough to dig a trench along the wall (a foot or so wide and filled with shingle?) to lower the ground level below the air brick?

or even just do that with a recess around just the air brick?

See also https://job-prices.co.uk/air-bricks/

FreeBear

Slithery said: Try asking on the In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving board. This doesn't really have anything to do with buying or selling property.

Sure it does. If the house has had a damp proofing company wreck the joint, it is worth knowing what damage has been done and reduce an offer accordingly. Worst case scenario, if the damage is extensive, walk away without even putting in an offer.