Cowboy job on extension?

[markyyyyyy]

Him

We have just had a kitchen diner extension and I've noticed some draught and it's really cold in the kitchen. I've uncovered plasterboard and the air vent is ABOVE the joists rather than below... Therefore I believe air is coming behind the dot and dab plasterboard and out into the kitchen at a section where the plasterers didn't dot and dab board all the way to floor level. I've phoned building control ... Have a done the right thing or is the vent supposed to be there? Picture is attached is taken from finished floor level and it's behind kitchen plinth/ cabinets.

The foam was filled in by the builder as the electrician cracked bottom bit of plasterboard .. another bodge!

 

[Ian H]

No expert but I think your missing one of these:

 

[markyyyyyy]

That's what I thought.. but of a big job for them to recorrect by the looks of it ?

 

[Ian H]

Yes

I’m not 100%, I just remember the brickie telling me to fit some to extend the vent out on my old house when we built a porch:

Crap picture but that’s it.

 

[wessex101]

But if it was supposed to have a cranked telescopic vent why does it come through to the internal leaf of the wall?

 

[^woody^]

Is this one random air brick or one of several?

It depends what the plans say as to their function and what it should be.

 

[Notch7]

Him

We have just had a kitchen diner extension and I've noticed some draught and it's really cold in the kitchen. I've uncovered plasterboard and the air vent is ABOVE the joists rather than below... Therefore I believe air is coming behind the dot and dab plasterboard and out into the kitchen at a section where the plasterers didn't dot and dab board all the way to floor level. I've phoned building control ... Have a done the right thing or is the vent supposed to be there? Picture is attached is taken from finished floor level and it's behind kitchen plinth/ cabinets.

The foam was filled in by the builder as the electrician cracked bottom bit of plasterboard .. another bodge!

So you have a suspended floor in your extenion?

If its for floor void ventilation, then my guess is that the telescopic plastic part is missing. All uou have is the plastic brick vent in the outside skin.

You dont need a pipe with a suspended floor.

As Woody says, it dods depend on the intended purpose of the vent.....

 

[markyyyyyy]

Yes we have a timber suspended floor

I haven't explored the others in depth but they're all at the same level and I don't remember seeing any internal telescopic pipes when they put them in .I can't understand why they would have them there as they're just letting loads of cold draft into the kitchen... I can feel it coming out under the kitchen units

 

[Notch7]

Yes we have a timber suspended floor

I haven't explored the others in depth but they're all at the same level and I don't remember seeing any internal telescopic pipes when they put them in .I can't understand why they would have them there as they're just letting loads of cold draft into the kitchen... I can feel it coming out under the kitchen units

suspended floors need to be ventilated to allow air movement to keep moisture down and prevent mould.

but since floor voids are generally below ground level, the vents have to be telescopic.

sometimes vents are fitted for other reasons, but I would suggest not normally to ventilate behind kitchen cupboards or behind plasterboard.

I wonder if they got forgotten about and got picked up the the building inspector and so they just fitted the air brick.......

have a look through the air brick from outside and see if you can see anything below the air brick. usually the telescopic vents sit behind the air brick, step downwards where the cavity is, then return back through the inner leaf into the cavity.

 

[Leofric]

I can't see how air bricks as shown in the picture can be right , but ​

how high is the finished ground floor level above adjoining external ground level ?

 

[John D v2.0]

that's just ridiculous, just like having a window open all the time!
The air brick as stated above should vent into the under floor void, not into the room.
On ours the air bricks were just venting directly into the void, but depending on the ground levels outside a telescopic one can be necessary.

 

[Ian H]

I just drive past a building site and saw a load part fitted:

 

[cdbe]

My wife showed me one on Facebook, on the side of their van - "Patel and Sons Builders - you've tried the Cowboys, now try the Indians".

 

[John D v2.0]

I just drive past a building site and saw a load part fitted:

I'm impressed that you parked up just to get a photo of some air bricks!

 

[Ian H]

I'm impressed that you parked up just to get a photo of some air bricks!

Anything to help, I was thinking of going back after dark to borrow them for markyyyyyy