Support for the bottom course of visible brick is badly eroded at ground level

[jw_82uk]

I’m considering purchasing a Victorian terrace house that has been rendered as shown in the attached photo. The survey has highlighted an issue that sounds expensive to resolve.

It states:

Support for the bottom course of visible brick is badly eroded at ground level on the front elevation due to frost damage. Cutting out and replacing the stone/ bricks may be at some expense as it is labour intensive. Engineering bricks would help prevent this problem reoccurring.

I’m afraid I don’t currently have a photo of the damage.

As it’s the Easter holidays I can’t speak to the surveyor (or a building expert) for a few days, so I just wondered if anyone would be able to give me a very rough idea of how much a job like this would normally cost (in the UK)?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[blup]

Consider digging out the trench yourself so what needs doing is more obvious. That will also indicate if there any services or drains/soakaways that would interfere with the digging, or if the dpc is affected, all of which affect price. It will be time consuming because you cant take out/replace all the bricks out at once.

My guess is that if you can get someone to quote it would be £10 -15k plus. But you may get no takers, or none you are happy with.

 

[jw_82uk]

Many thanks for your advice, @blup. It’s appreciated.

 

[^woody^]

I can't see any "badly eroded" bricks. How extensive is the issue?

At worst case, £100 per two-course metre run would not be unreasonable. But this type of work is rarely urgent nor extensive.

 

[jw_82uk]

Thanks for the response, @^woody^.

I haven’t managed to get hold of the surveyor to get more details, but his report made it seem like the problem was with the stone/bricks directly below the bricks which are visible in the photo I attached. I’ll try to get a photo of the bricks that are affected.

 

[JohnD]

Have a look for indications of excessive water.

Old lime mortar is easily damaged by drain leaks.

And frost can damage wet bricks by the water expanding as it freezes.

 

[jw_82uk]

Thanks, @JohnD. That might be what has happened.

 

[jw_82uk]

I now have better photos (attached) of the bottom course of visible bricks, and also the material below ground level, that were highlighted to be badly eroded by frost.

The report stated:

Support for the bottom course of visible brick is badly eroded at ground level on the front elevation due to frost damage. Cutting out and replacing the stone/ bricks may be at some expense as it is labour intensive. Engineering bricks would help prevent this problem reoccurring.

I spoke to the surveyor who, on the phone, made the issue sound potentially far less serious than I had anticipated based on his report. He suggested that perhaps the frost damaged bricks could just be rendered to protect them from further damage, as opposed to being drilled out and replaced.

Would anybody be able to advise the best course of action here? Or if there's a significant issue at all?

Many thanks once again in advance.

@blup @^woody^ @JohnD

 

[JohnD]

Is the black a waterproof paint, such as a bitumen coating?

Do the bricks seem damp?

Can you see the DPC?

I can't see any drains. Is there a source of water nearby?

 

[jw_82uk]

Thanks, @JohnD.

I don't know if the paint is waterproof, I'm afraid. Apparently, it was applied in 2009 - before the current owner bought the property.

The bricks didn't seem particularly damp to me. Although, it had rained hours before I visited.

Regarding DPC, the survey states:

No evidence of an original damp proof course seen. There is evidence of attempts at chemical injection.

There isn't a drain in that area. Nor is there a drain pipe coming down from the guttering, so perhaps they overflow in heavy rain? Also, it looks like there's an overflow pipe above the front door.

 

[robinbanks]

made the issue sound potentially far less serious than I had anticipated based on his report

My first thought was along those lines - it's a report to do you a favour in screwing some money off the price if you want to try that game

He suggested that perhaps the frost damaged bricks

I can't see any I would bother with in my lifetime

Would anybody be able to advise the best course of action here?

Point up the line under the step-out to reset the clock on the rain splash and freeze thaw cycling eroding it

Or if there's a significant issue at all?

I can't see anything particularly alarming

 

[jw_82uk]

Many thanks for your response, @robinbanks. That's very helpful.

 

[JohnD]

Bituminous paint is sometimes applied to damp walls in a misguided attempt to hold back damp. In fact, by preventing evaporation from the surface, it makes it worse. Wet bricks are more prone to frost spalling than dry ones.

It looks like the spalling surface has removed quite a lot of the black coating. Leave the bricks bare for now.

Do not use silicone injections as they do not repair faults causing damp.

The earth does look very wet. If there is no apparent leak, look at the surrounding paving. It might be holding rainwater against the wall, or water might be splashing up from a spilling gutter. Paving is often laid too high, and flowerbeds raised, bridging an original DPC.

Houses built since Victorian times usually had a DPC.