Cracked bricks and mortar

[sarahdh7]

Our new house has this car port type thing which I believe was built with the intention of parking a caravan. I think it’s around 20 years old. We are hoping to refurb it a bit, starting with any structural things that might need doing.

There are a few places with cracked bricks, but this corner is by far the worst. Is it dangerous? I watched some videos about replacing damaged bricks, but all were just for single bricks. If it is safe to do so, how would I go about replacing several at once?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The bricks are obviously very porous and not frost resistant, so were never suitable for use in the damp conditions they've been subjected to.

It also looks like it may be inadequate to retain whatever's been built up, so is bursting out. I'm guessing it probably doesn't even have foundations.

Probably no groundwater drainage either, so rain falling on the deck area ends up dammed up behind the wall, adding to its load and water penetration issues.

There's no point trying to refurb that, just knock it down and build whatever you actually want.

 

[sarahdh7]

The bricks are obviously very porous and not frost resistant, so were never suitable for use in the damp conditions they've been subjected to.

It also looks like it may be inadequate to retain whatever's been built up, so is bursting out. I'm guessing it probably doesn't even have foundations.

Probably no groundwater drainage either, so rain falling on the deck area ends up dammed up behind the wall, adding to its load and water penetration issues.

There's no point trying to refurb that, just knock it down and build whatever you actually want.

If it helps, I think they are London Brick red frogged common bricks (we have a spare stack that the previous owners left behind). I believe it was build 2004/05, at the same time as the garage (the block building to the left), so it's been up around 20 years. In the paperwork when we bought the house there was building regs approval from the council, although I'm not sure if that means anything! I've dug some of the flower bed away and it does look to be on concrete foundations.

 

[noseall]

We are hoping to refurb it a bit,

What you have there is organised hard core. Put that 'building' out of its misery.

Unsuitable bricks for that job in any case. They will continue to fail.

 

[^woody^]

In days gone by, that would be called a folly.