More ducting

[tcm99]

Help! I have just moved in to this bungalow and found that the bathroom extractor fan is ducted...into the loft. So (I thought), I'll just get a grill and duct it through the soffit. But I've just had a look this morning and the soffit is hidden behind brickwork which seems to extend between the rafters, right up to the underside of the tiles. Pardon my ignorance, but is this normal? What's the purpose? More to the point, can I risk boring a dirty great hole through it? (i.e. what happens if I mess up and take out a course or two of bricks)? My only alternative is a straight run of some 6 metres and straight through the gable wall.

Any suggestions (and/or explanations) greatly appreciated.
Thx.

 

[nstreet]

Continue upward and vent through the tiles

 

[Mr Winston]

with a tile vent

 

[tcm99]

Thx guys, but that makes me nervous - what I know about roofs you could write on the back of a fag packet. And doesn't it also mean a slightly different type of fan/ducting, or am I wrong? I'd much prefer to go through soffit or wall if at all possible (hey, I like drilling holes!) - this is within my experience. But I'll bow to your superior knowledge and investigate the roof option further. Any thoughts on that brickwork, though...?