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What is this?

9 replies

catchyjem · 20/06/2021 15:30

I just moved it to a Victorian house. These run all along the bottom of the external walls. I first thought they might be some kind of air brick? But there are air bricks also running along the wall underneath them (that have been unhelpfully filled in!) Anyone know what they are?

What is this?
OP posts:
flightofthecrow · 20/06/2021 15:33

Looks like a filled in air brick

S0upertrooper · 20/06/2021 15:36

It's difficult to say without seeing the whole wall but it could be an old damp course or the could have repaired the ties between the layers of brick or maybe put in cavity insulation.

If you bought the house it should be mentioned in the survey.

minipie · 20/06/2021 15:37

Looks like a Schrijver damp solution that’s been painted. I think they have very mixed reviews.

catchyjem · 20/06/2021 17:26

Yes thanks, I think it is a Schrijver damp solution. That's annoying as a quick google suggests they are useless too.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 20/06/2021 18:30

I am saddened that your airbricks have been filled in. Are the downstairs floors concrete or wooden? Can you see the dpc? More photos would be informative.

catchyjem · 21/06/2021 12:19

Hi @PigletJohn thanks for your interest I'll attach more photos. I'm not sure about a damp proof course. I think the black in the photo s may be one? I also don't know if it has a concrete floor or not. There are some signs of damp in my downstairs that showed up on the survey so I'm trying to find the best remedy now. A damp specialist recommended installing drains along the front and back of the property but I was wondering if the air bricks could be opened up again?

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 21/06/2021 13:40

the round things are not air bricks, but they might be another ineffective attempt to dry the wall.

If you pull up the carpet or vinyl, you should be able to see either floorboards, or concrete, or tiles. If you have a wooden floor, there will be a void underneath that needs to be ventilated. If it is solid concrete (or flagstones laid on earth) it does not need ventilation, but will tend to be damp.

The DPC (depending on the age of your house) will typically be a layer of slate between the courses of bricks, nine inches above where the ground level used to be when the house was built. Sometimes it is visible at a doorway. Unless you are on sloping ground, it is pretty sure to be at the same height all the way round the house, so once you have found it, you can work out where it will be when concealed.

It looks to me like you have three very common building defects

A cement plinth round the base of the wall, intended to prevent water penetration, but in fact prevents the wall drying out by evaporation from the bricks

A layer of black, probably bituminous, paint with the same intention but the same undesirable result

A concrete path or yard built against the house which probably is above the original ground level, which causes damp from the ground to soak into the wall; and prevents evaporation; and very likely covers the original DPC, thus causing damp.

Under no circumstances allow anybody who sells chemical injections near your house.

The corrective action would be first to strip off the cement plinth and expose the bricks. They may need patching and repointing as they were probably covered up to hide defects.

Then to work out where the original gound level and the original DPC are, and then most likely dig up the concrete and reduce the level back to the original (if this exposes the DPC then, combined with removng the plinth, it will probably remove the source of the damp)

When reinstating the ground next to the wall, it may be helpful to dig a trench and fill it with free-draining material such as cobbles or large pebbles. This is because water travels by capillarity through small pores. It travels most successfuly through very small pores such as bricks and soil, but cannot rise through the large gaps between cobbles. You could actually leave the trench open to maximise drying of the wall, but you might fall into it, so filling it with clean stones gives you a stable surface you can safely walk on. You can lay a drain at the bottom of this trench is the ground is unusually wet. Repair exposed brickwork as necessary.

I also recommend tht you look at all the drains, gullies and pipes around the house. If it was built before 1946, and is in or near a town, city, factory, railway station, factory, or canal, they are pretty sure to be cracked and leaking, which will add to your damp problems. Repairing them is not complicated and a local builder able to use a spade can do it. Try to find one by personal recommendation from someone you know and trust. listings on websites where builders pay to be shown are advertisements, not recommendations, no matter what misleading titles the websites use.

catchyjem · 21/06/2021 14:13

Thanks so much, what you have said makes sense. I'm starting with getting the gutters and pipes cleaned, checked and repaired anyway. The roof is also covered in moss that needs clearing. I know to steer clear of any of these injectable solutions. It's a shame the previous owners have made some mistakes with the house. I'd like to get it put right. The back patio has been put on top of a old patio which was also put on top of what I believe to be the original. It's raised the ground level so much it's unbelievable! The render on the front of the house is also terribly cracked. I think they have used the wrong material and it will all need stripping off and redoing properly. Thanks so much for your advise. Just need to find a company that understands these kind of houses and what needs doing now.

OP posts:
minipie · 21/06/2021 19:10

Just one thing to add - I believe the trench filled with pebbles that PigletJohn 🙇‍♀️ describes is also called a French drain. Sounds like this might be the same thing that the damp specialist you spoke to was recommending.

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