Venting through a brick exterior wall

Hi All,

I am in the process of refurbing a kitchen in an older brick home in which the range hood is vented through a brick side wall.
The original vent for the range hood is off by about 18" from the ideal position for the new range hood.
The construction of the wall is brick+concrete block+2X4+sheet rock+plaster. It is an outer wall, with a gap between the concrete blocks and the 2X4's.
Is it a big deal to put a new vent hole in the wall?
My big concern is that it may not be structurally safe.
I have already had to put 2 other vent holes in the basement portion of that wall for the dryer and the bathroom but those were 4" holes. The range vent is much more elongated, maybe 8" or 10".

Thanks.

 

Ordinarily, the brick siding on the exterior of a house is just that. The structure of the house is carried by the wood framing. You should be able to look inside the wall where the current opening exists to ensure that you have studs in the wall and not just some interior finish over the bricks. Holes through the siding of a house don't usually affect the structural integrity of the wall itself.

 

Would bricks be faced onto cinderblocks if they were only for siding purposes? I'm not sure about that. And yes, I do have studs in the wall although the rear wall is sheetrock & plaster on lath that is attached to the cinderblock.

My home is a somewhat older home - probably dates back to about 1950. From what I'm able to see of the basement and the first floor, I think the exterior walls are probably structurally supportive. If so, would I be running a great risk by filling in the old vent with replacement brick and cinderblock and then cutting an entirely new hole for the vent?