Damp Issues in Basement

[Matty0682]

Morning,

I bought my house recently (it's 160 years old ) and the survey showed high damp readings in the basement on the side of my house. The side garden is also slightly higher than ground floor hallway, so surveyor advised to reduce the side garden level (I’ll dig down 30cm) and improve water run off as any water hitting the side of the house is running into the side foundation, probability causing the basement damp. Basically at the side of the property there are wall remnants from the previously demolished adjacent property 60 years ago and no path was every laid.

So my question, what could I do to improve water run-off on the side? I was thinking about digging down (so that side garden is lower than hallway), then laying a patio slopping away from house with a drain gully on edge of property to take water away? I have asked a renderer for a quote to put a plinth at the bottom also.

Or do I lay contrate path? Or waterproof membrane with gravel on top? What would you all do?

Thanks
Matt

 

[David Williams]

Definitely no expert on this but there is a wealth of info on this forum by many who know more than me.
You Definitely want the outside level lower than the inside, and if there is a damp proof course, probably 6in below that. Anything solid (paving slab etc) will likely cause issues in terms of surface water displacement. If there are old remnants of solid walls etc at surface level in the ground this would maybe have a similar effect so I'd be trying to dig some of that out too if possible. Whether or not you need a French drain type affair others will know more, but personally I'd be going down the gravel route myself.

 

[Lacan07]

seeing as it seems that side of the house is on a slope I would probably dig out and slope away from the wall into a gully that takes the natural slope down to the main road, The pipe could exit your front garden wall. A water proof membrane and stones would be the cheapest option.

Don't bother with a plinth, they do more harm than good.