What are those holes you often see drilled in walls?

One question I am repeatedly asked is about the holes drilled through bricks in the walls of older properties and are they anything to worry about.

The holes (typically 2 per brick - see image of the gable wall of this property in Lincolnshire) are evidence of the property having received a treatment called Chemical Damp Proof Course Injection or Chemical DPC.

Chemical DPC is an option for homeowners wanting introduce damp proof course protection where no initial DPC exists of has failed.

Implemented correctly Chemical DPC provides and effective and lasting barrier against damp rising up the wall by capillary action.

However the effectiveness will vary with the constitution of active ingredients in the treatment and the suitability of the material into which the chemical are injected.

The effectiveness of the treatment will to a large extent be verifiable by the absence, evidence or existence of damp at the property.

Surveyors will report any findings relating to damp.

Treatments are expensive, especially given the mess created and the need for re plastering that results.

Warranties are therefore worth having and your solicitor will investigate and report back to you on the existence and status of any guarantees and whether they can be transferred to the new home owner.