In short: A wall keeps water out through a chain of details. Weep holes, the damp proof course and flashings are the links, and we have recorded failures in all three here.
Weep holes, missing and misplaced
We have photographed both a weep hole missing entirely and a weep hole at the wrong height in Riverstone. The second is the more interesting failure: it exists, it looks like compliance, and it drains nothing because it sits above the level water collects at.
The damp proof course
The DPC stops moisture rising through masonry. Where it is discontinuous, bridged or terminated short, moisture simply goes around it. It is built in early, covered quickly, and almost never revisited.
Flashing and capping
We have recorded a flashing as non compliant and a parapet capping with negative slope - capping that directs water back toward the building instead of away. Water ponding in a silt pit rounds out the picture: drainage that does not drain.
Why it matters in Blacktown's growth area
None of these announce themselves. They produce staining, efflorescence and rot years later, by which point the cause is behind finished surfaces and the argument about who pays is much harder.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Riverstone. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
