Holes behind skirting board after installation of new airbricks

[katymayo]

Pretty much what it says in the title really, I had the old clay airbricks removed from my bay and new plastic ones put in....noticed that the skirting in the bay had been knocked loose. So I took the skirting off and there are 3 big holes into the front room and I can see the airbricks and day light through them. How am I best to fill these holes without restricting the air flow?

 

[Cubist]

Hopefully you haven't already paid the clown cowboy bandits that did that work????

Did the builder promise to come back to properly seal them in place?

If you have paid them, tell them you intend to sue for the cost of repairs AND damages and if you haven't then Don't! Get their boss back ASAP to take a look at what they've done and tell him/her you will be in touch with your local Trading Standards team to make a formal complaint.

With a view to how to fix the damage; are there at least two or more courses of brickwork below the bottom edge of the new air-panels/bricks?

 

[katymayo]

Sorry poor quality photo, screen shot from a video I did before I put the floor boards back. This is a view of the sub floor after the airbricks had been fitted, it looked ok from underneath just didn't think he would have knocked though into the front room

Unfortunately yes I have already paid him, this was done some months ago....don't always trust the online reviews of trades people I guess

 

[Cubist]

In terms of the correct and best fix can you confirm whether there are at lest two courses of brickwork above the ground and immediately below the bottom edge of the air-bricks?

 

[katymayo]

No there isn't....pictures of orginal and new airbricks

 

[Cubist]

Thanks you for these last photos. Together these provide a clear history and partly excuse the last builders error.

Sadly, rather than three holes behind your skirting there are in fact four, as an extra hole behind the skirting on the return to the party wall will be found.

The latest builder has simply assumed a like-for-like replacement of the two original 6 inch high air-bricks and then compounded the problem by adding a third in the bay and then also replaced the original 3inch high air-brick with a new 6 inch product in the return to the party wall! The original builder made the first mistake but that no help to you unfortunately.

The right/best solution would be to remove all the 6 inch air-bricks and replace them with full depth 3 inch masonry air-bricks. These would be needed to properly support the weight of replacement bricks immediately above the air-bricks to match the now lost masonry and close the holes permanently and properly. After this the internal plaster can then be repaired and the skirting re-fitted.

Frankly I'm struggling to come up with a less costly and time consuming solution of any kind beyond the above but a fellow member here, @stuart45 , may be able to offer a better idea or approach.

 

[stuart45]

I'd go with your method Cubist.

 

[claraclattermole]

I would also think that they could be a bit too high up? Are the blue bricks not the damp proof course?
I assume you had them replaced and another rone added because there is a damp issue in that room?
How high is the ground level compare with internal? The pics suggest it is almost the same as floor level? External ground level should be a couple of bricks lower than the damp proof course, which should be lower than the internal floor.

 

[Matt Green]

I would also think that they could be a bit too high up? Are the blue bricks not the damp proof course?

This is what I was thinking. Was the outside ground level raised, and someone decided to just move the airbricks up the wall?


M.