mortar around upvc door falling out

[edthegr8]

Hi

I have just been out in the garden for the first time in a while.
I noticed that the mortar between the brickwork and the bottom of the upvc door looked wet and mossy in both corners.

I touched it and it was soft and wet. It just crumbled out to a soft touch, leaving about an inch of missing mortar. This mortar was that which sits right on top of the dpc. The rest of the mortar in the brickwork is rock solid as it is all round the house.

The dpc is visible in the gap. It looks like it had been pushed back when the mortar was being put in.

Of the two images, the second is the side that I haven't touched, still with the moss on the sandy wet mortar. The first is the other side where I have pulled the sandy mortar away. The dpc is exactly as it was within the mortar, like it had been twisted upwards by whoever put the mortar in.

The house is a 1980s build, although the upvc is more recent. We have been here 18months and the survey didn't notice it.

I'm a novice so any advice about what to do would be awesome.
Thanks

Untitled

• edthegr8
• 25 May 2013
• 1

sandy mortar removed leaving the gap and dpc pushed up

Untitled

• edthegr8
• 25 May 2013
• 1

sandy mortar on the other side still in place

 

[tony1851]

Just get a small bag of ready-mixed and re-point it.

 

[edthegr8]

Is that it? do I need to do owt about the fact moisture may have got in?
Sorry I really am crap at anything remotely DIY or building related!!

 

[pinenot]

Prior to any works being done now's the time to look and see whats caused the damp, could be blocked drain holes in the frame, the drip under the cill is somehow not working, after that's bean established and fixed it's time to put things right.
Rake out the old mortar in the left hand side and let it all dry. Mix up or buy some ready made mortar and fill in the gaps making sure the dpc is kept down when applying. Now when this is dry you'll get some shrinkage of mortar to door cill/frame which is normal, you now need to apply a bead of polysulphide around the new mortar/frame works, this will ensure a tight weather proof seal, white would probably suit...pinenot

 

[tony1851]

What's probably happened here is that when they put the frame in, they've just pointed up some remaining holes with a bit of mortar, and perhaps it was mixed too sandy, ie not enough cement. Possibly an end-of the-day job.
Just point it with ready-mix (press the upturned bit of dpc down) and forget about it.

 

[edthegr8]

I reckon that is the case, as I say all the other mortar is fine.
I'll have a go with some ready mix

thanks