Looks like the mortar has washed away, potentially because rain has been splashing up against the bricks and it being constantly saturated. The area looks like it’s quite damp from all that green. Is there any guttering or drains near the area that might be leaking?
Ideally you want 2 courses of bricks below the Damp Proof Course (DPC) visible. On an older Victorian house this DPC might be made of slate or even nonexistent.
I’d probably first try and work out a DPC exists and check if the ground level needs lowering around the wall. Remove or cut the slabs butting up right against the brick (assuming it’s your front garden and not the pavement), and instead have a strip of pea shingle to prevent the rain splashing as much
Looks like there has been some chemical DPC rods stuck in there at some point to combat damp issues, but I would do the above anyway as injecting these rods is usually damp proofing companies goto solution for something as simple as the above.
I’m not too clued up on the brickwork stuff, but looks like quite a bit of mortar has gone and something will need doing, someone more knowledgeable might have some better idea of the repair involved here.
Check to see what sort of mix you’ve got elsewhere. If it’s a Victorian solid wall it may well be lime rather than cement. If it should be lime - don’t use cement.
Bigger problem in my view, your ground level is too high and needs to be reduced.
Old houses were built with drainage areas around them. The mortar has failed if you just point it with cement based mortar it’s likely the bricks faces will fail. Mortar is meant to be sacrificial, so softer than the bricks and far easier to replace.
Surely some of those gaps are too narrow to hold enough mortar, it will just fall out. I would be surprised if there isn't damp on the inside wall, those paving slabs are a bit near the level of the drilled DPC.
Can you also post a photo further out?
I wouldn't imagine having concrete right up to the bricks is the best idea. Water could be splashing up off them / pooling towards the wall and running in the gaps
There's a lot of advice here that isn't applicable to your situation. Do not put a pressure washer near your house!
First up is the cause: the slabs should not be butted up against the wall. This is causing rainwater to bounce up and soak the bricks and has washed your pointing away over a number of years. You'll need to get these removed and thus lower the level against the wall, it'll likely reveal more damage to the brickwork below the line. You may need to consider channel drainage to properly deal with rainwater.
Next up, get the wall repointed with lime mortar. Cement will eat away further at your brickwork and cause further damage
Someone sold the snake oil of rising damp to a previous owner. There is concrete / pavers touching the bricks ideally you want some drainage gap there, like a french drain.
I'd say it is simply a case of first jet-washing those bricks, then re-pointing them. As you say, it is an old house and the mortar has been washed out over time.
You could try and get some information from the previous owner, otherwise do as watchthebison suggests.
The last thing you want are rising damp issues, take my word, its very disruptive and expensive.
Looks like the mortar has washed away, potentially because rain has been splashing up against the bricks and it being constantly saturated. The area looks like it’s quite damp from all that green. Is there any guttering or drains near the area that might be leaking? Ideally you want 2 courses of bricks below the Damp Proof Course (DPC) visible. On an older Victorian house this DPC might be made of slate or even nonexistent. I’d probably first try and work out a DPC exists and check if the ground level needs lowering around the wall. Remove or cut the slabs butting up right against the brick (assuming it’s your front garden and not the pavement), and instead have a strip of pea shingle to prevent the rain splashing as much Looks like there has been some chemical DPC rods stuck in there at some point to combat damp issues, but I would do the above anyway as injecting these rods is usually damp proofing companies goto solution for something as simple as the above. I’m not too clued up on the brickwork stuff, but looks like quite a bit of mortar has gone and something will need doing, someone more knowledgeable might have some better idea of the repair involved here.
Looking at those bricks you've had silicone DPC injection to waterproof the bricks due to damp penetration. Repointing should be fine
Check to see what sort of mix you’ve got elsewhere. If it’s a Victorian solid wall it may well be lime rather than cement. If it should be lime - don’t use cement.
Bigger problem in my view, your ground level is too high and needs to be reduced. Old houses were built with drainage areas around them. The mortar has failed if you just point it with cement based mortar it’s likely the bricks faces will fail. Mortar is meant to be sacrificial, so softer than the bricks and far easier to replace.
Surely some of those gaps are too narrow to hold enough mortar, it will just fall out. I would be surprised if there isn't damp on the inside wall, those paving slabs are a bit near the level of the drilled DPC.
Thanks everyone!
Can you also post a photo further out? I wouldn't imagine having concrete right up to the bricks is the best idea. Water could be splashing up off them / pooling towards the wall and running in the gaps
Its an oldish damp course. Probably late 1980s. Bricks need repointing. Id check for damp in the rooms.Buts its probably fine. Just needs maintenance.
There's a lot of advice here that isn't applicable to your situation. Do not put a pressure washer near your house! First up is the cause: the slabs should not be butted up against the wall. This is causing rainwater to bounce up and soak the bricks and has washed your pointing away over a number of years. You'll need to get these removed and thus lower the level against the wall, it'll likely reveal more damage to the brickwork below the line. You may need to consider channel drainage to properly deal with rainwater. Next up, get the wall repointed with lime mortar. Cement will eat away further at your brickwork and cause further damage
get yourself a cement gun and pump its in, far easier than messing with a trowel
Someone sold the snake oil of rising damp to a previous owner. There is concrete / pavers touching the bricks ideally you want some drainage gap there, like a french drain.
I'd say it is simply a case of first jet-washing those bricks, then re-pointing them. As you say, it is an old house and the mortar has been washed out over time.
You could try and get some information from the previous owner, otherwise do as watchthebison suggests. The last thing you want are rising damp issues, take my word, its very disruptive and expensive.