brick

Hi guys, I’m building a single skin, 4 courses solid engineering brick retaining wall to retain a small garden lawn. I’ve left weep holes every 2nd brick at ground level and will backfill with 10mm pea gravel, but wanted thoughts on whether a polythene membrane should be put along the side of...

I am trying to drill a hole to insert a fibre extension cable from the outside to the inside of a brick wall. This wall is part of an extension built between 1989 and 1995. I have a Bosch Hammer drill, that never had any trouble going through brick. But now it's really stuck - it goes in about...

Afternoon guys, I am opening up an old chimney breast that was blocked up years ago. The reason is twofold - ventilation (it wasnt vented!) And decoration. The new opening will be 400mm wide x 600mm high which is smaller than the original so I'm only knocking out 'infill bricks' and not any of...

Hello, We've got a damaged brick at the corner of our house, which was recently made worse when my 5 year old started picking at it with a stick! Photo attached. I can't imagine we'll be able to get a builder interested in fixing it as it's not worth their time, but I know a very good...

Hi, I recently bought a late Victorian house in North Cornwall. The prevailing wind has been racing in off the Atlantic and has for years been stripping away at the brickwork on the front elevation. The brickwork around the bay windows is particularly badly spalled. In a couple of places, the...

I am having beams installed to support a chimney stack. I noticed that whilst this beam was being installed the rear wall which the beam was to be placed on was broken through . The builder left it like this, could this lead to possible water damage in the future and should I insist that it is...

Hi there, I had my roof done last year and chimney flashing replaced on both sides - the house is a terraced and our neighbours had theirs done at the same time. We have leaks coming in from the corners of the room (it’s an attic bedroom) also - there’s an unused fireplace with a lot of grit...

Hello, We just had some brick work done to fill a small hole left by an old gas extractor fan. Should I be worried that within 12 hours of this being done the temperature is forecast to get as low as - 1 to - 2C? It's also forecast to get as low as - 3C within 24 hours. Could this cause any...

Hi all, Just bought a Victorian terraced house and in the process of trying to expose the chimney breast wall. Having taken off some of the plaster, there appears to be a line of bricks that have been replaced at some point. Has anyone got any idea whether it's feasible to put some original...

Hi, I'm currently doing some work on the front garden to take the ground level below Dpc level and have removed paving slabs from the whole area. However after removing the ones in front of the front door, it's exposed the sub floor beneath the hallway. There's no outer brick skin present just...

Hi all, me and the wife are buying our first home. We have found the perfect home, and on a viewing I noticed a crack running down between the bricks from a window upstairs (picture attached). Does anyone with knowledge know if they are something to be worried about?

Hi, I have long going dampness issue on one of my garage wall as big part of it is under the ground level as it makes border with my neighbour who has his ground level higher then me. I have finally managed to dig a trench around the wall in my neighbour garden and now I need to seal it, and...

Hello, Hopefully a straightforward question (and hopefully I'm posting this in the right place), I have little to no DIY skills, but I'm working on it! We have an old Garage/Outbuilding that has been in a state of disrepair since long before we bought the house. We finally have a bit of time...

I have a low garden wall that has lost a few bricks because the mortar has failed. It's not a particularly high quality wall and I am considering revamping the garden in a few years so a solution that lasts a few years (rather than decades) will be OK. Being an idiot DIY'er I don't know what...

Hi all, first time posting. I’m wanting to extend my bathroom into a walk in cupboard that the spare bedroom has. The wall I’ll be taking out is one side of the staircase from ground to first floor. (Either side of the staircase is red brick supporting wall) they support the ceiling joists in...

Hello, my property was built in 1900 an end terrace, I have seen some penetrating damp patches on my inside wall and checked outside and found random bits of wood hammered into the wall between the mortar. Some has rotted to almost nothing. I am planning on removing this wood and filling it in...

Hi, I have built a wall in garden from cheap modern bricks. They are orange with random brown patches, but I wanted an "older" looking finish. I have applied a mortar wash, by taking very thin amount of Blue Circle Ready Mix mortar, and smearing it over the wall with a cloth - I then rinsed it...

I'm removing my small chimney breast on a solis wall 9 inch as per attached photos. I left the long brick coming from the exterior face. What would be the best technique to tie it on the corner and make it stronger again? Many thanks

Hello, Confused between Bristol orange and Crofters medley. Have been to TP in addition to looking online. Any advice would be gratefully received.

I need to put a hole through the external wall for a kitchen extractor and there's already a couple of other holes in the vicinity. I can't find any regs or official guidance for how large a hole you can make and how far they should be from other holes, openings etc. Is anyone here aware of...