Airbricks
Airbricks are perforated openings, usually found below the damp proof course around base of external walls. The function of an airbrick aid ventilation, allowing air to circulate around the space below suspended wooden floors, preventing the possibility of dry rot developing in the joists, plates or floorboards. Without airbricks, the air below the floorboards can become stale and the moisture can lead to condensation which causes the wooden joists and floor to rot. The majority of homes with wooden floors at ground level will have space underneath. Older airbricks can be made from either from terracotta or cast iron (in Victorian and Edwardian houses). Newer homes tend to have plastic or ceramic airbricks. Airbricks should be positioned every 2 metres along external walls. In some houses, the airbricks are above the damp-proof course, with a channel through the wall down to below the floor boards.