azureblue

I am trying to help an elderly neighbour of a relative of mine. They asked me to take a look at their property and I seem to have stumbled onto a bit of a nightmare. The property is suffering from a lot of internal damp issues I am not a builder or a structural engineer but its clear that there are some problems with the brickwork at and below ground level outside that are the cause of the damp. ( I am sure that there are other issues!) Having spent sometime investigating it appears that the row of bricks just above ground level has completely failed (Quite possibly those below ground level are failing as well). The ground level is high and the concrete upstand/fillet look to have been the cause of this problem. When I say failed you can grab the brick and pull it out in small pieces, you could literally remove the entire brick by hand. The house is and end terraced and you could do this along the entire side elevation and a few bricks into the front and rear elevations. I have attached some images that show the brickwork problems, any suggestions on a way forward to rectify this problem would be greatly appreciated. I know that the first port of call should be a structural engineer, but at the moment that just isnt possible. The home owner is an elderly lady who has health issues and I am sure has very limited financial resources. I would like to try an improve my knowledge and gather some information so that I can advise the homeowner the best way forward.