brickwork advice

[gimchee]

Hi - I'm a bit worried that the brick mortar is crumbling away in my house below the damp proof course. House is fifty years old and I was wondering if this is normal. How do most house builders stop the damp and moisture below damp proof course eating away at their brick mortar?

I know it can't have helped matters that the previous owner layed patio slabs nearly level to the damp proof course. I have now taken away the patio slabs and dug down about four or five inches. The trouble is that the mortar on these lower rows has turned to the consistency of wet, crumbly sand. I was actually able to poke in a screwdriver all the way through into the cavity. Is my house going to fall down? I'm not sure what to do about this.

Tony

 

[masona]

Can you take a photo for us to see?

 

[Static]

You normally specify a higher grade of brickwork below DPC level to resist frost and sulphates

 

[gimchee]

Masona - will post pics tomorrow. Just found a post explaining how to upload photos.

 

[gimchee]

Masona, what do you think? This seems quite bad for a fifty-year-old house.

Cheers,

Tony

 

[gimchee]

Mods, why can't I view photos? Are there too many bytes?

 

[gimchee]

Let's try this then...

 

[gimchee]

damn!

 

[gimchee]

One more try...

[/url]http://himal.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=House_020

 

[gimchee]

All I can do is give the url, but I've compressed them to thumbnail size!!!

http://himal.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=House_020

http://himal.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=House_009

http://himal.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=House_019

 

[gimchee]

can post urls of larger pics if needed.

Thanks again,

Tony

what a performance

 

[ToMMY2ooo]

send them to me and Ill host them on a web server for you.

 

[gimchee]

Tommy - cheers for the offer. I'm going to start a new post because I've made a pig's ear of this one

Thanks

Tony