Weep Holes – Those Holes in the Bottom of the Brick

Weep Holes

Gina was out showing homes this morning. When she returned she told me about a house where the owner had filled the holes in the bottom of the brick. While this might seem like a good idea…it’s not for a number of reasons.

Most building codes require builders to leave weep holes along the bottom row of bricks. These holes allow any water that might get behind the brick to drain. If the water gets trapped behind the brick, mold can form and the water may damage the supporting structure behind the brick.

When the home is sold, these plugged weep holes will be caught by the inspector and most buyers will want them opened up again.

The homeowner in the right-hand picture above has used expanding foam to seal the weep holes. This will be almost impossible to correct later depending upon the amount of foam injected into the weep holes.