first off, i hate to be even asking about this since we've been so fortunate compared to people who still can't get in their homes.

in the flood, we didn't really see any visible water in the house. maybe a puddle formed in the utility/laundry room (which has a floor drain). not sure if the water came up through a crack in the tile floor or backflowed through the floor drain.

i checked the water line and, all around the house, the debris was right under the lip of the slab. in some cases it looked to be higher than the weep hole bottom. but i have no idea how accurate a debris line is to gauge actual intrusion. i would assume the water crested slightly higher than the debris.

we have tile and hardwoods on the first floor and i have not noticed any obvious hardwood swelling, warping, or detachment from the lower flooring. but, once again, i have no idea what could have happened.

regardless of outward appearances, do you all think there's a decent mold chance and that the floor needs to go anyways.

also, i put in a flood claim, but i'm anticipating the adjuster coming out and telling me everything is cool and just to keep an eye on things (since nothing obvious is wrong). should I hire a third party (like ServPro?) to come out and give an independent evaluation? i'm just overall unaware of what inspection service the adjuster will actually render.

sorry for the long post. curious if you guys have any advice for a borderline issue.

You are probably fine. In most cases, the bottom of the weep holes are 1 1/2" below the top of your slab. It would not hurt to squirt a 1:10 bleach solution into the weep hole to avoid mold, or even a few drops of pure bleach as the vapors will do the trick. When the brick is laid, lots of mortar falls behind and mostly clogs up the back of the weep holes. This mortar provides capillaries for the water to wick up. I would not be overly alarmed but cautiously observant. There is a moisture barrier between the back of the brick and the structural wall, which is not to say that water could not have gotten behind the barrier. Watch you baseboards for swelling. I think you dodged a close bullet. Good luck.

Hugh Stearns
Stearns Design Build

thanks for your reply and your advice. we'll be following it.

amen about dodging a bullet. we live in Bellaire and everyone with construction prior to ~1990 got inches to feet in in. so we're focused on helping them, but i just wanted to know what all i would need to follow up on eventually around here.

for peace of mind / resale, would it still be wise to get a third party on-site evaluation just to get something on paper? are those the type of guys that do the detailed thermal imaging?

I would NOT get ServPro out there to give you an evaluation as they will eat you alive...ask me how I know!

They are in the business to sell their services to you, like a foundation repair company is there to sell you piers for your house!. And they are not cheap, by any means...

thanks for the advice! appreciate all of y'all for taking the time.

WhatHCS said. The brick are laid on what's known as the brick ledge which is usually a 1x4 below the floor and wall level.