Tell me about weep holes (house, landscaping, neighborhood)

[aloharunnergirl]

So, we are looking at buying a brick house in a neighborhood that is prone to flooding (I know, I know...). Apparently this house did ok during Harvey but there was water in the garage and there was some moisture underneath the first floor hardwoods near the fireplace, apparently water got in through the weep holes. Similar story for home next door: moisture under first floor hardwoods and came in through weep holes, but no water inside the home. (The house across the street had 2 inches of water inside the home for comparison sake). Is this something I need to be worried about? Is it common for water to get into brick homes through the weep holes or are we only talking about massive rain events that go on for days? Wondering if we should walk away and find something less risky in a different neighborhood.

[WRM20]

Every house with brick has weep holes at the bottom to allow any moisture to escape by running down the tar paper/Tyvek house wrap that is underneath the bricks. If water pools high enough to reach the weep holes, there is a greater than zero risk of water coming in and then going under the hardwoods. This can happen anywhere. You can reduce the potential for this to occur by ensuring the soil and landscaping around the house are properly graded and sloped to keep water away. It also helps to have gutters installed, so the water runs off down the driveway or other place.

[aloharunnergirl]

Thank you WRM20!