I've been excavating for a new patio that isn't flush with the DPC and have found that the foundation trench of our extension is back filled with old bricks and it *looks* like it may be designed as a soakaway.
The foundation blocks are not mortared on their vertical edges and the cavity does not have a tray that spans both skins (But we do have an inter-skin hydro-wick aka cavity wall insulation)
Is this a 'normal' building strategy to drain the cavity below grade and I need to make sure I keep the soakaway integrity?
Or, more likely, were these a bunch of cowboy builders who just dumped their old bricks and mortar into the trench because it was easier and I should just pile soil down there as I expose it?
Cheers
The foundation blocks are not mortared on their vertical edges and the cavity does not have a tray that spans both skins (But we do have an inter-skin hydro-wick aka cavity wall insulation)
Is this a 'normal' building strategy to drain the cavity below grade and I need to make sure I keep the soakaway integrity?
Or, more likely, were these a bunch of cowboy builders who just dumped their old bricks and mortar into the trench because it was easier and I should just pile soil down there as I expose it?
Cheers