Thinking about doing some guttering and drainage improvements around my house

[Deleted User 298457]

Not repointing the entire wall no but replacing bricks in the corner and repointing that area, and replacing bricks where the pipes have been put through, and bricking up the window. He has allowed 3 days work plus materials so I guess it will be however much he can get done in 3 days which for a proper brickie should be quite a bit?

The repointing needs doing on the whole house but once this corner is repaired then there is less urgency and I can work on it a bit at a time.

Have you considered just getting a brick repointing quote with a few repairs thrown in? :S

 

[danlightbulb]

You could get a small room plastered for that.

Sorry I'm not sure the relevance? Are you suggesting a grand for that repair work is overpriced?

 

[danlightbulb]

Have you considered just getting a brick repointing quote with a few repairs thrown in? :S

Surely any decent brickie/tradesperson is going to be asking £2-300 a day?

I'll see what tomorrow's visit suggests.

 

[danlightbulb]

Why are you all so against me doing the job properly?

If you were buying this house and saw this I think you'd be trying to knock at least a couple grand off asking price for this potential repair work.

Old houses will need external brick repair eventually Im struggling to understand why you're against trying to do a professional job of it.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Surely any decent brickie/tradesperson is going to be asking £2-300 a day?

I'll see what tomorrow's visit suggests.

Yeah but tbh any decent brickie will be super quick. 3 days is a long time for what they've quoted.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Why are you all so against me doing the job properly?

If you were buying this house and saw this I think you'd be trying to knock at least a couple grand off asking price for this potential repair work.

Old houses will need external brick repair eventually Im struggling to understand why you're against trying to do a professional job of it.

Not against it but you are going arse about face. If the brickie repairs the bits, you still need pointing and you haven't solved your gash drainage issues. The ground is still too high vs. air brick etc etc

 

[danlightbulb]

Yeah but tbh any decent brickie will be super quick. 3 days is a long time for what they've quoted.

Ok I'll see what the second guy says then.

3 days didn't seem unreasonable to me, a day to replace bad bricks especially on the corner, a day repointing the area (I guess 3-4 SQM) and then a day bricking up the window.

 

[danlightbulb]

Not against it but you are going arse about face. If the brickie repairs the bits, you still need pointing and you haven't solved your gash drainage issues. The ground is still too high vs. air brick etc etc

Yeah that's true but I'm trying to focus on the more urgent work first (i.e the structural strength of the wall itself) because I can't drop several grand getting someone to repair, repoint the whole wall and rectify the drainage all in one go.

Do you have another suggestion for how I fix everything in one hit or change the order of what I'm doing? I'm not a builder I don't know.

 

[radderfire]

Re the airbricks, have you actually looked to see in heavy rain if water is pooling outside them and getting in to them? i.e. do you know that they are actually causing a problem?

If water ingress is an issue, and you want to save money, I would imagine there is a solution where you could block/cover off say the bottom two rows of holes in them, making them watertight, so you could withstand a higher pooling depth, but still have some ventilation.

I guess it depends on how much money you have to spend.

 

[danlightbulb]

Re the airbricks, have you actually looked to see in heavy rain if water is pooling outside them and getting in to them? i.e. do you know that they are actually causing a problem?

If water ingress is an issue, and you want to save money, I would imagine there is a solution where you could block/cover off say the bottom two rows of holes in them, making them watertight, so you could withstand a higher pooling depth, but still have some ventilation.

I guess it depends on how much money you have to spend.

I don't think water is pooling no, although I can't be sure on the ones that are below the level of the block paving out front. I need to lift the block paving at the front to see what is underneath, but there is an acco drain installed at the level of the paving so if I remove the paving this would then be too high.

The problem with this rear corner that I'm focused on at the moment is because a slab was angled towards the house so water was running off the slab to the house and then soaking down into the soil right against the foundation.

I plan to fix this once the brickwork is repaired by installing an acco drain and laying a concrete slab so it falls away from the house into this drain, which will then head off down the garden just onto the soil.

The front of the house I'm a bit stuck on because of the levels and what might be under the block paving which I don't know yet.

There's many weekends work here for me as we approach winter which is why I'm willing to pay for someone to come in for the urgent stuff. If I do it it will take me weeks.

 

[radderfire]

Yeah that's true but I'm trying to focus on the more urgent work first (i.e the structural strength of the wall itself) because I can't drop several grand getting someone to repair, repoint the whole wall and rectify the drainage all in one go.

Do you have another suggestion for how I fix everything in one hit or change the order of what I'm doing? I'm not a builder I don't know.

I'm not a builder or expert, but what I would say is that you first need to see how your drainage is performing, i.e. identify if you have actual drainage problems, and then do any work necessary to rectify those. So I think it's drainage sorted first, then any cosmetic work to the wall (if necessary) afterwards. Otherwise, if you do the wall first, you might have to redo it after fixing the drainage.

 

[Buffman]

Yeah that's true but I'm trying to focus on the more urgent work first (i.e the structural strength of the wall itself) because I can't drop several grand getting someone to repair, repoint the whole wall and rectify the drainage all in one go.

Do you have another suggestion for how I fix everything in one hit or change the order of what I'm doing? I'm not a builder I don't know.

Remember that if this is a double skinned cavity wall that the structural strength ie what holds the roof up is in the internal course of brickwork. Regardless structurally could consider the "if it's lasted this long..."


I would sort the drainage before new brickwork as don't want that to get shot before the drainage sorted. It should be 150mm below DPC or have good mitigation measures in (e.g. Flow away from house, aco drains etc.)

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Yeah that's true but I'm trying to focus on the more urgent work first (i.e the structural strength of the wall itself) because I can't drop several grand getting someone to repair, repoint the whole wall and rectify the drainage all in one go.

Do you have another suggestion for how I fix everything in one hit or change the order of what I'm doing? I'm not a builder I don't know.

I think folk have already said. But if it ain't broke don't fix it - structurally there isn't an issue. Focus on how you are going to get the drainage sorted and shop around quotes for a repoint and brick repair. £1k sounds quite spenny for the West Mids unless you are guaranteed it is top work with matching bricks.

But I'd also in parallel be getting pipework clear in my head otherwise you'll need him back to brick more up Also ground level above air bricks is a no-no.

Is the inside OK?

 

[danlightbulb]

I'm not a builder or expert, but what I would say is that you first need to see how your drainage is performing, i.e. identify if you have actual drainage problems, and then do any work necessary to rectify those. So I think it's drainage sorted first, then any cosmetic work to the wall (if necessary) afterwards. Otherwise, if you do the wall first, you might have to redo it after fixing the drainage.

As far as I can tell the actual foul and surface water combined drain is ok. There is no sign of any leaking from this but then it's below ground so there is no way to know for sure. It's a shared system with the neighbour on a shared rear access so I can't just dig the lot out.

Remember that if this is a double skinned cavity wall that the structural strength ie what holds the roof up is in the internal course of brickwork. Regardless structurally could consider the "if it's lasted this long..."

It's solid wall house, 1930s. I get the 'if it's lasted this long' argument but that doesn't mean it doesn't need a good repair job. It won't last forever.

I would sort the drainage before new brickwork as don't want that to get shot before the drainage sorted. It should be 150mm below DPC or have good mitigation measures in (e.g. Flow away from house, aco drains etc.)

There is a dpc (slate) which is at a good enough height above the ground. I can't do the drainage before the brick repair because I need to lay a concrete slab to fall away from the area, so I need to get the brickwork repaired first then lay the concrete upto the house.

folk have already said. But if it ain't broke don't fix it - structurally there isn't an issue. Focus on how you are going to get the drainage sorted and shop around quotes for a repoint and brick repair. £1k sounds quite spenny for the West Mids unless you are guaranteed it is top work with matching bricks.

I think £2-300 a day is about the going rate for trades here in Birmingham unless I get some cash in hand bodger to do it.

The airbricks at/below ground level at the front of the house is an issue but a separate one to what's happening at the back.

Is the inside OK?

There's no rising damp that I can see. I haven't been able to get under the floorboards downstairs to see what's happening there, would be very disruptive and I haven't got to those rooms yet in terms of decoration.

 

[200sols]

Sorry I'm not sure the relevance? Are you suggesting a grand for that repair work is overpriced?

You must have missed his shed build thread then.

I agree with much of what he says though. Also bricking up that window, replacing a few bricks and repointing that bad bit of wall by the ground, you could do that yourself in a day.

 

[danlightbulb]

Also bricking up that window, replacing a few bricks and repointing that bad bit of wall by the ground, you could do that yourself in a day.

I dont think I could really. First I'd have to buy some more tools (a good investment Im sure but I don't have them at the moment). I'd have to mix a fair bit of mortar too and don't have a mixer.

The bricking up of a window, including toothing into the existing brickwork, and its a double brick (9" thick) wall. I don't think I'd make a good job of that without any practice bricklaying. Plus some bricks would likely need cutting, I don't have tools for that either.

Its a job I'd like to do given more free time but in this case I think its best left to someone with some experience.

Repointing of the rest of the house I do plan to do myself, over time (probably several months before I eventually complete the whole house).

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Are you sure it is a solid wall house? It has an airbrick high up for a cavity? Not that it matters hugely...

I think sols point is that 3 days is excessive for what is a days work for a competent brickie. Your issue may be the brickie sends a junior labourer too given its a small job

 

[danlightbulb]

Are you sure it is a solid wall house? It has an airbrick high up for a cavity? Not that it matters hugely...

I think sols point is that 3 days is excessive for what is a days work for a competent brickie. Your issue may be the brickie sends a junior labourer too given its a small job

Yeah definitely. That airbrick goes into the kitchen although that one is covered over from the inside.

There are several more airbricks all over the place going into rooms eg all the bedrooms have one. So we have room airbricks and many subfloor airbricks.

3 days might be excessive but if he does spend 3 days here and that's what I pay for, hopefully he'll actually work for 3 days and get more repointing done or something?

I suppose if a job is too small then its not worth all the setting up etc if he can take bigger jobs instead.

In this case Im also paying for the convenience factor of not having to do it myself, can get it done quicker, and it will be peace of mind that its been done by someone with competance.

I have another person coming later so will see what he says.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Yeah definitely. That airbrick goes into the kitchen although that one is covered over from the inside.

There are several more airbricks all over the place going into rooms eg all the bedrooms have one. So we have room airbricks and many subfloor airbricks.

My mums 1950s has similar air bricks into rooms and it is cavity wall. Your brick pattern looks like cavity wall too (normally its long brick, short brick, long brick, short brick). Other than a few patch jobs yours looks mostly long brick long brick.

3 days might be excessive but if he does spend 3 days here and that's what I pay for, hopefully he'll actually work for 3 days and get more repointing done or something?

I suppose if a job is too small then its not worth all the setting up etc if he can take bigger jobs instead.

Be careful - tradies rarely give day rates, they charge per the job. It benefits them as you get what you pay for it and it is very transparent. They will likely be gone as soon as the contracted work is done, not offering up any other "random" bits you want.

I suppose if a job is too small then its not worth all the setting up etc if he can take bigger jobs instead.

He's priced your little job as if it is a big job though. You may as well start with what is needed vs. the little incremental step forward. Otherwise you're left with an even smaller job.

 

[200sols]

I dont think I could really. First I'd have to buy some more tools (a good investment Im sure but I don't have them at the moment). I'd have to mix a fair bit of mortar too and don't have a mixer.

You dont need a mixer, a mixer would make way too much mortar. Just a bucket and trowel will do fine, sand, cement and a bit of water with a drop of plasticiser and you're good to go. Honestly its very easy.