air bricks below dpc

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Hampshire
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United Kingdom
I have air bricks to the front and rear of my property just below the level of the dpc, at the front they are in a solid wall , at the back i have one each end of a sliding double glazed exterior wood door approx 2.5 mtrs wide, the floors of the house appear solid with 1" chipboard laid in some way above, unsure of this bit cause i dont really want to rip it all up . my question is what are the vents for and what would happen if a dozy builder blocked them in with a solid floor when building a extension
 
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ratonnastick said:
my question is what are the vents for and what would happen if a dozy builder blocked them in with a solid floor when building a extension
The air-vents are important to prevent condensation as humid air carries moisture with the difference temperature with heating and weather etc plus to keep the timbers dry.
Air_brick.jpg

A sleeper wall for air-flow through the wall.
Honeycomb_brickwork.jpg

No air-vents should be blocked or when having a solid floor extension, if so, should be extented with normally a 100mm underground pipe sloped away to outside for the air flow to the new position vent.
Extension_duct.jpg
 
what would happen if a dozy builder blocked them in with a solid floor when building a extension
It can result in rotting of the woodwork below the floor. The absolute worst case scenario would be an infestation of "dry rot" (which ironically actually requires damp conditions to get a foot hold). This could then send tendrils through the entire building and, even worse, into the neighbouring properties. If this was left unchecked for long enough, it could need the whole lot demolishing, for the safety of the community.
 
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