Maintaining My Home

cavity brick walls require effective ventilation behind the bricks to allow drainage and drying. Along the bottom course of bricks there should be a drainage opening/weep hole at every third or fourth vertical joint (or 1000mm2/m wall length.) Drainage holes wider than 13 mm must be vermin proofed

if a garden or lawn has been built up against the wall, clear it away from the base of the wall. Ensure that the ground level will allow water to drain out of the hole and away from the building, and will not channel surface water back towards the wall

clean out blocked drainage holes with a wire with a hook on the end or similar device until water can run freely out of the holes. Aim to pull blocking material out of the hole rather than pushing it further into the hole

as for first repair above

if the maintenance work was carried out within recent years by a tradesperson or company, call them back and ask them to remedy the problem

if this does not work, consult a well experienced bricklayer about fixing the problem. Ensure that the work is carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner with a bricklaying and blocklaying licence

if a garden or lawn has been built up against the wall, clear it away from the base of the wall. Ensure that the ground level will allow water to drain out of the hole and away from the building, and will not channel surface water back towards the wall

break up and remove any paving covering the slots. Reform the ground surface so
rainwater will flow away from the building

if the cavity brick wall was constructed within the last 10 years, call back the original builder. Homeowners can take action for up to 10 years after building work is completed if implied warranties set out in the Building Act have not been met. Implied warranties include that work will be carried out competently, meet legal requirements and be done with reasonable care and skill. Building a cavity brick wall with no drainage slots is likely to be a breach of implied warranties

if this does not work or the wall is more than 10 years old, consult a well experienced bricklayer about fixing the problem. Ensure that the work is carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner with a bricklaying and blocklaying licence

it is legally possible for homeowners to remove the mortar from every third or fourth vertical joint in the bottom course of bricks themselves. You should only do this if you have the skill, experience and tools to be able to do the job competently