brick

The previous rendered plinth was swollen and has been removed. It appears the ground has been raised with concrete by previous owners to create a slope away from the house and the original victorian DPC (some sort of tar) is now only about 2 inches above the ground. There is no particular damp...

Hi All Plinth at the bottom of the driveway was removed as part of repointing. The bricks under it look damaged but the pointing guys did not mention replacing yet. Additionnally I don't know where the damp proof course is, it seems there is a dark line under the air Rick's which could be...

Hey all, I've just had a garage conversion; A wall was built for the new window. I've started to notice black spots appearing on the mortar surface. When I brush it with my finger it falls out. It's only been about 3 weeks since it was done and I don't want it to get worse. What is it, is it...

Hi, We had a new patio laid a couple of years ago. We had some concerns at the time (sandstone slabs laid on a ring bed of cement not a full bed), slabs too high v damp proof course and air bricks, slabs built right up to house walls. We've started to get a lot of woodlice in the house and are...

Really hoping this is something I can fix adequately rather than pay someone but have no idea how to proceed. Panels to the left and front appear to be wood, two wooden uprights are all rotting from the bottom up, damage doesn't seem to extend too far up though. Mortar around the visible brick...

Hi, Just had an outside tap installed and as the drill was coming through it blew out 2cm of brick. Looking to repair this using the following: - Mortar - Mortar dye - Waterproof sealant (once cured) Basically rebuild up the brick face with a similar coloured mortar to cosmetically repair...

Hi there, Finally getting around to this after moving house in 2021! We've got a single-skin brick outbuilding, with pretty modern roof and doors/windows. But the brick walls and especially the (concrete) floor are in poor condition, so I'm wondering what to do. It's extremely damp in there --...

Hello i am replacing my garage door with a door and window. Going to do the foundation first... As for the bricking, how do i attach the brick work to the top of the main garage opening. it is a 9-inch wood lintel. i don't want to replace this lintel just yet. From experience, I am aware of...

I have 1930-40 house with what I've been told is accrington brick. The mortar looks like a black ash mix which appears to be poorly pointed with some red dyed mortar which has blown out in multiple places. The full house need repointing and I wanted to ask what would be the best mortar mix for...

I have an old window which I am getting replaced and in the process of removing some of the timber, the brickwork around the window has crumbled away. Just wondering what to fill this with? I am thinking of building a form and filling in with concrete. Does that sounds sensible or is there a...

Hi, After some advice please to repoint some brickwork above patio door. Could anyone please advise a product that would be fit for purpose and match the existing mortar colour? Also, any thoughts on why the brick work in the middle is that colour? House is 1930s semi. Thanks

I've recently had an issue with damp next to a party wall where we had a unit pushed up to it. We're fairly certain now it was condensation / lack of air movement. Neighbour has no problems on their side. The skirting board was rotten, so I've taken it out and was surprised to find a second...

Hoping for a bit of advice. We have a single garage not attached to the property, but shares one wall with the neighbours garage. Since it’s too small to fit most current cars, I’m looking at converting it to an office, and to do this would require blocking up the garage door, which I’ve come to...

Hello, Looking into a 1930's house and noticed some cracks in the brickwork, can anyone identify the type of brick used and let me know any issues assocaited with it. The picture is below. Thank you.

These engineering bricks have grooves on one face. Do the grooves serve a purpose ? Such as a better key for rendering over ? How would i search for this type of brick, as the lower half of my property is rendered and I need some for an extension. Alternatively, after Ive laid up to DPC with...

Appreciate any help on figuring out what these are to build up a garage wall and porch wall

Hello, I'm considering purchasing this property but I'm worried about cracks around the windows both internally and externally. The windows sit one on top of the other and the external crack in the picture below sits between the two of them. We're first time buyers in our 30s and have already...

Hi all, drilling into what looks like a brick wall in our cellar, to hang something up, but after around 5mm the drilling just stops, with both normal and masonry drill bits. I used a stud finder and metal/wires finder and they both said nothing was there in the area. I’ve attached an image of...

Hello. Got a Ring floodlight installed today and the traders have broken the brick on which they installed the mount (not saying anything to me afterwards). I understand you can drill outdoor brick without damaging it. Would this prove to be poor tradesmanship from them? Is the cam secure to the...

Hello everyone, I recently became the owner of a house built in 1905, by far the oldest property I have ever lived in, so I'm slowly getting to grips with the construction methods that were used at that time and the fun and games that come with owning a property from that era ... My project...