BUILDING AND PEST INSPECTION ELLEN GROVE 4078
Our Building Inspector was looking for weep holes and saw they were covered by soil.
Firstly, let’s explain what weep holes. These are gaps that bricklayers have purposefully created when laying bricks to build a house.
These gaps are placed intermittently along a row of bricks in one of the lower levels as the house is being built. It looks like the bricklayer forgot to add the mortar between the bricks.
In fact it is the complete opposite. The bricklayer was doing his job well to leave out the mortar.
These gaps or weep holes serve a very important purpose in cavity brick homes. They help prevent water damage to interior walls by aiding ventilation and drainage.
Having soil/sand up against the brick wall like what is seen in this building and pest inspection in Ellen Grove is an issue on 2 levels.
1. It will be affecting the ventilation of the building and depending on how long it has been in this state perhaps creating a moisture build up and possibly mould.
2. As termites like to stay under soil to regulate their body temperature, they have a free ride straight into the house via the weep holes.
For proper maintenance of your brick home it's essential to keep soil away from weep holes. If your garden beds are up close to the house, please install a barrier of pebbles or gravel between the wall and garden. Termites won’t travel over these.
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