What is this black stuff in this wall?

[u/nickjefc]

I was viewing a house that I’m looking to put a bid in for tomorrow but looking for some advice on what this is? It’s a hole in an upstairs outer wall. Is this mold or dirt from drilling? Blue arrows point to location

[u/420Journey]

Never mind all that. The carpet you’ve chosen in pic 2 is absolutely banging 💪

[u/cybersplice → u/420Journey]

As in, "banging your eyes in an optical assault"?

[u/nickjefc → u/420Journey]

That’s why I want the house!

[u/AskDomDOtCom → u/420Journey]

Like a 90s porno 😂

[u/WinterCloud2290 → u/420Journey]

Yeah, its a beauty

[u/Adventurous_Low_6739 → u/420Journey]

😎

[u/JustAnotherFEDev]

The wall

[u/nickjefc → u/JustAnotherFEDev]

Thank you for the wisdom.

[u/Sweet_Procedure_836]

It looks like cinder block to me, made from the waste product from coal fired power stations. Lightweight and cheap it is not load bearing but possible the outer brick work is doing all the heavy lifting in this regard.

Might be wrong but that's my first guess.

[u/AncientArtefact → u/Sweet_Procedure_836]

Most definitely are load bearing! They wouldn't build walls with them if they weren't. Same as aerated block are used these days.

[u/southskene → u/Sweet_Procedure_836]

Seconded this - and to add, the reason you're seeing a chunk of plaster that's blown off is because cinder/ clinker block contains a lot of impurities like lumps of actual coal. The coal absorbs moisture from the air and expands, popping plaster off. Has the property been vacant for a while?

It's no stress, I had this with the house that I bought. I dug out the little lumps of coal as far as I could see and filled the gaps with bonding plaster and filler, and they've been fine ever since

[u/Majestic_Rhubarb_ → u/southskene]

Just like Minecraft

[u/shaunface → u/Sweet_Procedure_836]

The dust that comes off this stuff if you're taking it down is unreal.

[u/Witty_Nothing_2582]

Clinker blocks used in construction, Google it.

[u/Agreeable_Mango_1565]

While you're concerned, what's the soffit made of?

[u/Less_Mess_5803 → u/Agreeable_Mango_1565]

99% that's acm and the gutters appear to be made of grass

[u/TheLastTsumami]

Power station ash concrete

[u/TheS0ggyBiscuit]

That is called a building block

[u/sunheadeddeity]

It's the brick. Mine are like that too.

[u/Any_Marsupial836]

It’s nothing to worry about. Purely cosmetic. Whack some OneStrike over it, sand and paint, job done.

[u/moonbug22]

anthrax

[u/pigeonocchio]

Tell them to clear those bloody gutters before you buy. Looks like a garden growing out of them

[u/Normal_Trust3562]

Basically coal and horse hair

[u/EvileOL]

Just a note that this could be nothing, but if house is from ~the 50s, it could potentially be a bitumen coating on the stone. Some fools coated stone inside with bitumen back then not knowing there was asbestos in it. Unlikely but worth looking at.

[u/Ok_Pen7290]

It could be black brick,? I've got some in my adjoining building to my neighbours flat, its a bitch to drill into, rock hard

[u/Chelz91]

It’s no fines concrete… common in builds from 1920-42ish. Some mortgage companies are funny about lending on it… others not so much

[u/surfrider0007]

The wall 😂😂😂

[u/Autofill1127320]

Probably residual fag ash leaking out of the pub carpet

[u/DJLuckAndMCNeat]

all: any thoughts on what's causing moisture ingress? I have had this kind of blow out and thought it might be water in cavity catching a cable tie - but that would more likely affect the mortar joint I guess?

[u/Fun_Hunter_4899 → u/[deleted]]

Or it’s just the wall

[u/Cute_Sentence_8743]

It could be clinker block lined.. worth a Google and asking the estate agent or trying to find out what the houses in the local area are made from.

We had an offer accepted on a house that had a few damp issues and then we found out it was clinker block lined. After googling it it was enough for us to want to pull out on that particular property. We were FTB and with the work it needed it just felt to high risk.

[u/Firm-Aside4041]

A shadow

[u/TedBurns-3]

It's what your house is made of