I wish I’d known about you last year. The builder we used, who was recommended to us by friends, ruined the front of our house. He ground off a few mls from the edge of every brick when removing old lime mortar. Now our wall has tiny bricks and huge courses of mortar. It was such a pretty house and now it’s ruined. I almost feel like crying when I look at it. We tried so hard to get it done right. We made sure to get a guy who was highly recommended and was experienced in using lime mortar, and we were willing to pay the price for proper work. He still destroyed our house. He also left mortar smeared all over the brickwork. To try to minimise the damage I’m going to have to try to clean the brickwork myself this summer, and will tint the mortar to age it and minimise its impact. As it is right now, it looks like a sloppily made 1970s shed with 15mm mortar courses, instead a beautiful Victorian home which once had courses half that thick. Just to clarify - the cowboy who ruined our brickwork is NOT the chap in this video. His work looks beautiful. For all the homeowners out there. Please, be more careful than careful. We thought we’d done everything right, and still our house was destroyed. Having to pay the vandal of a builder for the privilege of a ruined house makes it all the worse. If I had all the money in the world, I’d get the front of the house rebricked, since that’s the only way to repair the damage done. When we finally get the rear wall of our house done, I’ll be looking for someone who does careful work like you did here. It looks lovely. Do you cover Shropshire?
Look at tuck pointing. You will find that it will make the beds/joints between the bricks smaller. It’s absolutely stunning skilled stuff. I am a bricklayer and do a lot of repointing but I can not do tuck pointing. Very very skilled.
Lovely work again, You should do a full video with a guide to drying times for scraping, brushing, hessian sheeting etc. Protecting "trade secrets" of a dying art is pointless when so many numpties are using concrete on these older properties because they don't know any better. This isn't something your average homeowner will undertake and quality workmanship will speak for itself and should keep you busy!
I employed a so-called dampproofing firm to take out the old wall ties and refit new ones. I heard a lot of smashing of bricks and I went out to see what was going on. The workmen were smashing every brick into the cavity and I told them I wanted the bricks cut out with an angle grinder, they said the morter was too hard and that was the only way they could do it. I had to clean out the bridged cavities to retrieve the rubble they had filled it with.
@@penman1289 You are correct, there are so many people working as tradesmen, but when it comes to doing the job they haven't a clue. they missed loads of bad wall ties because they just didn't know how to find them. I ended up fitting the ties myself and cleaning up their mess.
@@Jard-z4i All I seem to get these days is cowboys. They see I am getting on in years and they try to shaft me. I had my own building business before I retired and I have forgotten more than they will ever know about building. I have yet to find a decent builder or roofer in my area. They all talk a good game but when it comes to doing the job their lack of skill shines through. There are a few decent plasterers about but they charge the earth and are very hard to get.
Excellent work. I did this to the rear of my house and you should have seen how much debris came out... Even a dead bird and an old chisel when the house was built (1935). Unfortunately when you come to sell the property the survey will come back and say "lack of ventilation"... Would you install an air brick to avoid this sort of "comment" or not?
I have a breached cavity wall in my cellar which was very damp. Realised why when i dug down outside to the level of the gas pipe and found they had not sealed the hole where the pipe came in from the road. So water (and earth) was entering the cavity and making the celllar wall and floor wet inside. I had wondered if it would be possible to remove the dirt this way. So thanks for the confirmation.
That is a common problem in cavity walls constructed without insulation. Much less common now due to ´Rockwool´ batts or cellulose slab installed during the build.
Hi, I have to do very similar job, but need to install air Rick instead old imperial. I couldn’t find any information on the web as to how to install air bricks into solid brick wall of an old house. I am planing to install additional two air brick at the front of the bay wall due to damp issues. One is already there placed in the middle. It is a solid brick wall house was built back in 1900. My question, due to structural integrity reasons do I need to install lintel when installing air brick. Wall is pretty thick, more than 200 mm. Would appreciate any advice really. Many thanks.
Hi there, would you advise to put cavity insulation back in? If so could it go below dpc? I’m asking as I have done this job and a builder has told me it could cause cold bridges… your opinion would be lovely cheers
Out of interest what could I expect to pay to get done from a local builder? A house I'm looking at buying need this done too all external walls, damp pretty bad. The house is only a small 2/3 bed around 72 SQ M
Removing the bricks isnt what cures the issue. The removal of the bricks allow him to remove the build up of dust in the cavity which is essentially acting as a pathway for the moisture to get above/around the damp proof course. The layer of slate you can see in the wall prevents moisture from the ground getting to the bricks above. If the dust has built up from the floor below the slate and has reached a height above the slate which contacts the bricks above it creates what is known as a "bridge" for the moisture to travel upwards and cause the issues associated with damp. So the removal of the dust and build up cures the damp issue. But the bricks are removed so he can access the cavity where the build up has occured
@@justCommando the build up of dust etc shouldn't reoccur once hes dealt with it. Air bricks are installed where circulation is required underneath raised floors. In this case I dont think it would be necessary but each problem needs to be properly assessed.
@@shereeamour3412 They're given to us when we're born. Even we don't know we've got them until they're activated by codes. Then... well... all hell breaks loose and we spend the next 5 years learning how to restrain ourselves. It's very difficult.
You could teach the so called Skillbuilder a lot he seems to like drilling and sticking stupid sealants in , but he is famous so we’re supposed to trust him !!!!
I bet they've had a bit of repointing done in cement of the years. mid terraced houses are usually lime mortar. but that's a guess as I can't see your house
So the problem was caused by the original builders Inserting 75/100 mm Insulation between the outer and inner doesn't make sense to me as you are stopping airflow.. Creating issues for the future...all self induced
Probably built just after the second world war using what they had top men on the front improvers round the back you should see what was done in Germany
I wish I’d known about you last year. The builder we used, who was recommended to us by friends, ruined the front of our house. He ground off a few mls from the edge of every brick when removing old lime mortar. Now our wall has tiny bricks and huge courses of mortar. It was such a pretty house and now it’s ruined. I almost feel like crying when I look at it.
We tried so hard to get it done right. We made sure to get a guy who was highly recommended and was experienced in using lime mortar, and we were willing to pay the price for proper work. He still destroyed our house.
He also left mortar smeared all over the brickwork. To try to minimise the damage I’m going to have to try to clean the brickwork myself this summer, and will tint the mortar to age it and minimise its impact. As it is right now, it looks like a sloppily made 1970s shed with 15mm mortar courses, instead a beautiful Victorian home which once had courses half that thick.
Just to clarify - the cowboy who ruined our brickwork is NOT the chap in this video. His work looks beautiful.
For all the homeowners out there. Please, be more careful than careful. We thought we’d done everything right, and still our house was destroyed. Having to pay the vandal of a builder for the privilege of a ruined house makes it all the worse. If I had all the money in the world, I’d get the front of the house rebricked, since that’s the only way to repair the damage done.
When we finally get the rear wall of our house done, I’ll be looking for someone who does careful work like you did here. It looks lovely. Do you cover Shropshire?
Look at tuck pointing. You will find that it will make the beds/joints between the bricks smaller. It’s absolutely stunning skilled stuff. I am a bricklayer and do a lot of repointing but I can not do tuck pointing. Very very skilled.
Lovely work again, You should do a full video with a guide to drying times for scraping, brushing, hessian sheeting etc. Protecting "trade secrets" of a dying art is pointless when so many numpties are using concrete on these older properties because they don't know any better. This isn't something your average homeowner will undertake and quality workmanship will speak for itself and should keep you busy!
I’m sovereign main contractor for Buckingham northhampton area good to see this content just gonna watch now
This bloke has some exceptional forearms
I employed a so-called dampproofing firm to take out the old wall ties and refit new ones. I heard a lot of smashing of bricks and I went out to see what was going on. The workmen were smashing every brick into the cavity and I told them I wanted the bricks cut out with an angle grinder, they said the morter was too hard and that was the only way they could do it. I had to clean out the bridged cavities to retrieve the rubble they had filled it with.
There is not a morta on earth that cannot be removed with the correct blade in a grinder, These worker were to lazy to do the job right.
@@penman1289 You are correct, there are so many people working as tradesmen, but when it comes to doing the job they haven't a clue. they missed loads of bad wall ties because they just didn't know how to find them. I ended up fitting the ties myself and cleaning up their mess.
@@SloopyDog so true I've been stung with cowboys in the past. So annoying!!
@@Jard-z4i All I seem to get these days is cowboys. They see I am getting on in years and they try to shaft me. I had my own building business before I retired and I have forgotten more than they will ever know about building. I have yet to find a decent builder or roofer in my area. They all talk a good game but when it comes to doing the job their lack of skill shines through. There are a few decent plasterers about but they charge the earth and are very hard to get.
Excellent work. I did this to the rear of my house and you should have seen how much debris came out... Even a dead bird and an old chisel when the house was built (1935). Unfortunately when you come to sell the property the survey will come back and say "lack of ventilation"... Would you install an air brick to avoid this sort of "comment" or not?
That's some beautiful work right there.
I have a breached cavity wall in my cellar which was very damp. Realised why when i dug down outside to the level of the gas pipe and found they had not sealed the hole where the pipe came in from the road. So water (and earth) was entering the cavity and making the celllar wall and floor wet inside. I had wondered if it would be possible to remove the dirt this way. So thanks for the confirmation.
A reciprocating saw with a masonry blade makes the removal of bricks on a project such as this alot easier... 👍
That is a common problem in cavity walls constructed without insulation. Much less common now due to ´Rockwool´ batts or cellulose slab installed during the build.
Can this be done internally for a wall adjoining a neghbours property.
Same issue here
I really need to do this, I’m a DIY-er what’s the worst that could happen do you have the full video with best products to use?
Hi, I have to do very similar job, but need to install air Rick instead old imperial. I couldn’t find any information on the web as to how to install air bricks into solid brick wall of an old house. I am planing to install additional two air brick at the front of the bay wall due to damp issues. One is already there placed in the middle. It is a solid brick wall house was built back in 1900. My question, due to structural integrity reasons do I need to install lintel when installing air brick. Wall is pretty thick, more than 200 mm. Would appreciate any advice really. Many thanks.
Hi there, would you advise to put cavity insulation back in? If so could it go below dpc? I’m asking as I have done this job and a builder has told me it could cause cold bridges… your opinion would be lovely cheers
Out of interest what could I expect to pay to get done from a local builder? A house I'm looking at buying need this done too all external walls, damp pretty bad. The house is only a small 2/3 bed around 72 SQ M
How does taking out a few random bricks, stop the dampness,if it is already there,???
Removing the bricks isnt what cures the issue. The removal of the bricks allow him to remove the build up of dust in the cavity which is essentially acting as a pathway for the moisture to get above/around the damp proof course. The layer of slate you can see in the wall prevents moisture from the ground getting to the bricks above. If the dust has built up from the floor below the slate and has reached a height above the slate which contacts the bricks above it creates what is known as a "bridge" for the moisture to travel upwards and cause the issues associated with damp. So the removal of the dust and build up cures the damp issue. But the bricks are removed so he can access the cavity where the build up has occured
@@tomar3 shouldn't air bricks be installed to prevent it happening again, having to redo this at a later date?
@@justCommando the build up of dust etc shouldn't reoccur once hes dealt with it. Air bricks are installed where circulation is required underneath raised floors. In this case I dont think it would be necessary but each problem needs to be properly assessed.
@@tomar3 perfect explanation, thank you
Do you do work up north?
Nice one Dave. Just enough information to keep the trade secrets being exactly that. Good teaching.
Where do you learn these secrets then?
@@shereeamour3412 They're given to us when we're born. Even we don't know we've got them until they're activated by codes. Then... well... all hell breaks loose and we spend the next 5 years learning how to restrain ourselves. It's very difficult.
@@shereeamour3412 3 years as an apprentice with on the job training and college.
Do you cover the Manchester area?
Where are you based ?
Nice. I thought you were going to install air bricks.
Excellent video !! Thank you
How much will
Cost to be done thanks
Where are you located? How to get in touch with you?
nice work
You could teach the so called Skillbuilder a lot he seems to like drilling and sticking stupid sealants in , but he is famous so we’re supposed to trust him !!!!
What do you do if the bricks above start to drop ?
This new video will be of interest to you. Prevention is always better than the cure. :) th-cam.com/video/0zRACxKThnY/w-d-xo.html
they won't. they corbel or pyramid
@buildbrick what the best way to contact you?
3 bed mid terraced house damp walls by the entry side into my hall walls , what to do ? Thanks
I bet they've had a bit of repointing done in cement of the years.
mid terraced houses are usually lime mortar. but that's a guess as I can't see your house
@@martingaynor5017 would doing this works on my house and am I better doing it inside rather than outside of house ( where the moulds are ) thank you
Big$ in restoration work rather than structural masonry
So the problem was caused by the original builders
Inserting 75/100 mm Insulation between the outer and inner doesn't make sense to me as you are stopping airflow..
Creating issues for the future...all self induced
there's no insulation . nine inches wall in lime 😋
The Bridging is due to debris above the damp course..
Insulation filler is doing the bridging...in current buildings@@martingaynor5017
I have had my fill of abysmal builders...
That wall bond is all over the place, its flemish, english and quarter bond at the same time
It's called matching the existing 😀
@@markmaddison5312 yes i know, the previous builders fucked up.
Probably built just after the second world war using what they had top men on the front improvers round the back you should see what was done in Germany
Also don't forget there are only three bonds half quarter and brook ooh must be tea time
It's Monk bond.
great video
What area do you cover? You should put your number on your videos 🙂👍
That wall looks like it needs pointing
Knock the house down!
And the old mortar is bone dry