Buying house - ground level bricks worn

[ckl139]

Hi again,

Another post on house purchase - different topic, but same 90s house if you end up reading my other posts.

Ref attached images, under marked up blue line. There appears heavy staining and wear to bricks near ground level. I suspect this is due in one of the images, fall of patio, pooling of water and the tap, and in the other image with bay window in view, the same causes plus the fact that the bay window roof is slopped, but no guttering.

Is this serious that would need bricks replacing or more, or would solving water issues resolve?

I also note, none of the bricks are engineering bricks either, shouldn't they all be below DPC?

Welcome thoughts.

 

[blup]

Expect staining and wet bricks below the dpc. Get a survey

 

[^woody^]

There is nothing out of the ordinary in those photos.

 

[ckl139]

Thanks, that helps reassure for this at least.

Any concern with not being engineering bricks?

For those that have more heavily deteriorated, would chop and swap out be needed?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I don't see any damaged bricks. They're just a bit mossy. Presumably they're adequate, otherwise after 30 years they would have blown apart due to frost.

Engineering bricks are preferred below DPC, but often houses aren't (or weren't) built like this.

Personally I'd take away a course of blocks all round, re-lay the edging blocks one block further away and fill the gap with 20mm gravel. Then the wall should be able to breathe and dry out easier, plus it won't get as much splashing from the rain. But lots of people have paving up to the wall and it's fine.

Ensure there's a fall all round that takes water away from the building.

 

[ckl139]

I don't see any damaged bricks. They're just a bit mossy. Presumably they're adequate, otherwise after 30 years they would have blown apart due to frost.

Engineering bricks are preferred below DPC, but often houses aren't (or weren't) built like this.

Personally I'd take away a course of blocks all round, re-lay the edging blocks one block further away and fill the gap with 20mm gravel. Then the wall should be able to breathe and dry out easier, plus it won't get as much splashing from the rain. But lots of people have paving up to the wall and it's fine.

Ensure there's a fall all round that takes water away from the building.

In terms of removing a course of blocks and then filling gap with 20mm gravel, is that a French drain? Would you say its as simple as filling with stone or does a pipe need laying to a soak away? I ask because I'd also read that sometimes this can cause problems with foundation if water goes down to an area in concentration.

Understood on fall, I think part of the problem here maybe that.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You aren't going to be able to install a french drain without pulling up the whole lot. It's a huge job, the sort of thing you only ever do if you find that you actually need it.

I've just dug out about a foot deep and put gravel in. Just make absolutely sure that nothing is tipping into it so it becomes a soakaway. Obviously rain will fall in, just as it would if your house adjoined soil. The soil can cope with a reasonable amount of rain, it only becomes a problem if you gather it up from a vast area and tip it all into one spot, sadly as some paving does.

When I did this I left it about six months before I put the gravel in - just have an empty trench around the house temporarily. Have a look after heavy rain, check it's not filling up. Mine did once, after exceptional rain - flood alert conditions, when the soil was utterly saturated so any hole anywhere would be full of groundwater. Once you're happy it's functioning then chuck the gravel in.

 

[ckl139]

Useful responses, thank you.

Just coming back to pic ending '128.jpg'. Not specifically related to previous query, but more so it shows patches where mortar as worn alot. I've posted elsewhere about this, but wanted thoughts on why patches of this house may have mortar wearing so quickly, to extent where it's been patched in many places. Further examples attached here.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Buy a newbuild if you're worried about minor weathering.

I really don't see anything alarming in any photos.

 

[noseall]

Any concern with not being engineering bricks?

No. There are many FL rated bricks that are actually quite absorbent and used at ground level...

mesh2.jpg

• noseall
• 16 Apr 2025

digby2.jpg

• noseall
• 20 Oct 2023

You just need to make sure and look at the data sheet (as a builder) before using them.