Damp and flood problems in Wiltshire

[mooresf]

Hi,
I live in a grade 2 terraced cottage which has damp issues of efflorescence and peeling paint. I was recently flooded and had to rip up all my suspended floors and remove the wet plaster from the walls. I have also discovered that the joists were powdery and crumbling where they abutted the walls (which appear to be concrete if some sort). I assume that if they get replaced, they shouldn't touch the walls or they will rot again? I am going to do a lime plastering/repointing course in the spring to keep the costs down. Then I plan to repaint with Earthborne or another breathable paint. My biggest issue is the poor drainage. I have a high water table and my floors even prior to my flood were stained at the edges. Would a french drain help? I am a bit bamboozled by talks of er, 'zebcolm' drains etc and I am scared of being mis sold something which won't help further down the line. All my family want me to just patch it up, disguise the problem and sell it on at a loss but I really love my house. Can anyone give me some honest advice or point me in the direction of any good companies nearby who could help me? I am struggling a bit to be honest...

 

[aockenden]

Sorry to hear about the issues you’re facing. Are your downspouts draining into gulleys which run away from the house? Are your ground levels outside low enough? How’s the ventilation under the floor? That vent grate in the first pic looks a bit obstructed and the ground level looks a bit high.

The zebcolm trench is a special case for when you can’t truly lower the ground levels around the house due to some non-house related complexity, like there’s a public road or a huge hillside abutting your house’s wall. If your house is sitting clear of everything around it and you can freely lower ground levels around the house without destroying stuff or pissing people off then it’s not applicable.