Level of air bricks with driveway

[Chaniel]

Hello,

Bought our house about 2 months ago and one of the things I'm concerned about is the level of the air bricks with the driveway, as far as I'm aware they're supposed to be higher than the level of the ground to prevent rain from getting in.

There was a patch of damp in the living room which we've had sorted, the guy who came around recommended creating a gully in the driveway at the front of the house.

I've attached a few pictures, what would be the best way for me to do that? Remove the brick next to the wall and fill with gravel?

Thanks for any help!

 

[vinn]

Best practice is for the driveway bricks to be 150mm below your DPC - where is your DPC line in the photos?
Is the driveway sloping towards the house?
Is the RH neighbour's RWP discharging into a gulley?
Does the neighbour on the left have a gulley?

What do you mean "sorted" the "damp patch"? By who - the "guy who came around"?
Where would the damp patch be on the photos?
Carefully examine the interior walls in the vestibule, hall and living room for any damp in the plaster or the skirtings.
Have the floor joist tails been inspected for rot?
The air bricks could do with being plastic 10 x 6 - depending on how much under floor through ventilation you have.
The pilasters at the front need inspecting for damp and decay and cutting back 50mm from any ground contact.

What did the mortgage surveyor say about these issues?

 

[Chaniel]

Best practice is for the driveway bricks to be 150mm below your DPC - where is your DPC line in the photos?
Is the driveway sloping towards the house?
Is the RH neighbour's RWP discharging into a gulley?
Does the neighbour on the left have a gulley?

What do you mean "sorted" the "damp patch"? By who - the "guy who came around"?
Where would the damp patch be on the photos?
Carefully examine the interior walls in the vestibule, hall and living room for any damp in the plaster or the skirtings.
Have the floor joist tails been inspected for rot?
The air bricks could do with being plastic 10 x 6 - depending on how much under floor through ventilation you have.
The pilasters at the front need inspecting for damp and decay and cutting back 50mm from any ground contact.

What did the mortgage surveyor say about these issues?

Sorry, should've explained further.

Honestly, not sure where the DPC line is. Any advice on how to find it? It's a pre-1900s terrace.
Driveway slopes away from the house.
Both right and left hand neighbours don't have a gulley (albeit air bricks on the RH neighbour seem a bit higher).

Damp plaster was removed and a chemical DPC & new plaster was put in by a contractor with a 20yr insurance backed guarantee. In the photos, the leftmost air brick (by the entrance to the house) and the old telephone line entrance (brown box) corresponds with where the damp patch was.

Can't see any more existence of any damp on the interior. The floor joist tails haven't been inspected for rot. Our surveyor didn't mention anything about creating a gulley but stated that the external render at the front entrance may benefit from cutting back to at least 6" above external ground levels.

Thanks for your help.

 

[vinn]

If the D&T guy injected indoors he was injecting above the FFL - otherwise he would have lifted the floor at the wall - which he should have done, or he should have crawled under and inspected the joists in a damp wall.

There should be air ventilation just below the main floor entrance cill/threshold. To ventilate the hallway.

Your DPC will be just above or below the air bricks - measure inside from the window cill, and measure down from outside.

There doesn't appear to be a plausible way of creating a gulley to connect to main drains - a sump gulley would entail disturbing the driveway bricks, & might even create minor subsidence in the driveway.