Wednesday 29 July 2015

Portico weep holes

So whilst we were looking at concreting options for our driveway, pathway and portico we noticed that are weep holes are at the same level as the adjacent concrete in the portico.

Initially, this didn't phase us as we decided to just paint/seal that concrete. It wasn't till further looking into it that we found out that this is actually a defect and the minimum height of weep holes/DPC under a covered area should be 75 mm or approximately one brick course. 

Turns out reducing the step down in the Portico wasn't such a good idea from PD! 

We are in a little bit of a pickle because we can't raise the DPC/weep holes as they will be above the house floor level which is also a defect and definitely will not be touching the concrete base underneath it. 

It seems a lot of houses are being built this way as we have already seen some in our estate and on some other blogs. We might just have to live with this one... We believe that it won't reduce performance as long as we don't block them in any way. 

Joys of building... 


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8 comments:

  1. Jackula29 July 2015 at 13:12

    Looks like the weep holes are at the right height but the concrete is too high, PD have to reduce the portico height, it's a major defect, your posts will rot if left at this height.

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    1. Unknown29 July 2015 at 13:17

      Yea as mentioned above this is a direct cause of the step down to the portico reduced.

      Sorry but how/why will the posts rot? and which posts are you talking about?

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    2. Jackula29 July 2015 at 13:25

      Weep holes are there to let moisture out so your timber studs (and plaster) don't rot, but when it's on the same level as the external levels, water can also enter from the weep holes.

      There doesn't appear to be any fall of your portico which could exacerbate the problem during heavy rain.

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    3. Jackula29 July 2015 at 13:35

      Sorry to be the bringer of bad news - just trying to be helpful, get PD to fix it while you still haven't paid them the final invoice!

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    4. Unknown29 July 2015 at 13:37

      I know their function.

      The weep holes are below the house floor level and in turn plaster/frame level so moisture build up won't be an issue inside the DPC.

      As for the drainage out of the weep holes, I will check the level of the porch but it's definitely not blocked.

      The portico is also protected from the weather so I don't foresee water going back up into the weepholes/DPC.

      Thanks.

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    5. Unknown29 July 2015 at 15:10

      Not at all. We knew it was bad news but I really don't want them hacking at the slab. They are bound to mess it up.

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  2. Jackula29 July 2015 at 13:45

    As long as the level of the porch falls away from the building then that's fine, sometimes after heavy rain fall, water gets pooled under our alfresco even though it's undercover.

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    Replies
    1. Unknown29 July 2015 at 13:50

      I will check it first thing.

      Thanks for the advice!

      Delete

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