Richard Faulkner wrote in message ...
In message , John Miller
writes
My daughter has bought a mid-terrace house which I guess was built between
the wars. The front and rear walls have air-bricks set into them high up
near the eves. It appears that these bricks admit rain water as there are
damp patches on the inside walls around the same area.

I would like to remove them and replace with a solid brick, but they must
have some purpose. The roof has no weatherdoards or soffits and perhaps
they are there to ventilate the loft space via the cavity. Can anybody
tell
me if blocking them up is a good idea or suggest any other solution?

John Miller



They allow ventilation and blocking them would do more harm than good.
I'm not sure of the solution but wonder if some kind of shield could be
built around them so that air can get in from the bottom, but rain is
prevented from the top, front & sides.

--
Richard Faulkner

I can't see that they serve any purpose in a modern house. Originally they
were probably to do with ventilation for coal or gas fires, and I think
you'll find they're brick lined, so wouldn't have anything to do with the
loft.
I used an offcut of aquapanel for the last one I did, with a couple of
battens just inside the opening to support it, but bricking up might be
better in exposed situations.