Weep holes, flashings and the brick cavity in Riverstone NSW

A cavity brick wall is designed to leak. Water passes through the outer skin, runs down the inside face, lands on a flashing and leaves through a weep hole. Three things have to be true for that to work: the weep hole has to exist, it has to sit at the flashing rather than above it, and the flashing has to carry the water to it. Our Riverstone reports record all three failing. Weep holes missing altogether. Weep holes set higher than they should be. Weep holes not sitting on their flashing. Each one leaves water inside a wall that was designed to let it out.

Guides for Riverstone owners and buyers

29 January 2026 · 8 min read

Three weep holes, three different failures

Missing, too high, and off the flashing.

23 February 2026 · 6 min read

Damp proof course, and why it is a lock-up item

Rising moisture is stopped by a layer nobody sees again.

19 August 2026 · 6 min read

Insufficient ventilation, and what it costs later

Air movement is a structural question, not a comfort one.

Weep holes, flashings and the brick cavity in Riverstone NSW: common questions

How many weep holes should there be?

They are spaced along the base of the cavity and above openings, at the intervals the masonry standard and the code require. A run with none is the obvious case; irregular spacing is the one worth measuring.

Can a builder argue it is cosmetic?

They can try. Water management in a cavity wall is not cosmetic, and the report cites what the detail fails rather than describing how it looks.

Can it be fixed after handover?

Yes, but not cheaply, because it means cutting into finished brickwork. That is the argument for a lock-up inspection.