Damp proof advice from local builder - comments please

[MetManMark]

Morning all

My first post a few weeks ago "Damp in new house purchase" generated a reasonable amount of interest so I thought I would provide an update following an inspection by our builder. Original guidance from a firm had been to strip all the plaster off the ground floor and to tank it - at a cost of £10k or so. The builder along the road that we trust recommended:

Replacing the flashing and a few tiles that run along the gable end of the house at about 12feet. We aren't really certain why they are there - it suggests that the house had been joined to some other structure at some stage.

Hacking off the render (unfortunately the front and side of the house is rendered with sand and cement - the rear is brick&stone) to about 10 feet, fit a bell cast to throw the rain water away from the property and to render in beneath with lime to let it breathe.

The side of the property that is damp on the inside has the ground level a couple of feet above the floor level of the house. This has been concreted over at some stage and is not overgrown with brambles etc. At some stage we would like to have block paving put down along here but we probably can't afford it right now. His suggestion was to dig out next to the house and install a French drain. From what I have read on the forum these all ideas seem to be sensible.

Thoughts? Next time we get keys I'll take some photos to upload.
Mark

 

[robgil]

Some photos would be good Mark but it does sound as though he is trying to eradicate the source of the damp rather than hide it.
Whats your gut feeling?

 

[MetManMark]

Ok so here are some photos.

Here are some photos. There is damp to the right of the safe in the living room and also in the corner of what will be our office. I have included one of the rear of the property. The drain pipe is right outside the corner of the office so this might be the cause. I don't have a photo of the gale end of the house but you can kind of see that the ground to the side of the house is higher than the back.

Cheers
Mark

PS - apologies if I have messed up the uploading - I tried to do this once before and it didn't work so well.

 

[robgil]

That first photo , is that a safe in a blocked up fireplace?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Drainpipe, plants, higher ground, fairly impermeable surface right up to the wall, abutting (garden?) wall.
In that order.

 

[robgil]

That first photo , is that a safe in a blocked up fireplace?

Sorry , my tiny computer cant show photos , I have to right click then view image to see them properly.

 

[Schoolmarm]

And NO GUTTER on the corrugated roof.

 

[Matt Green]

Drainpipe, plants, higher ground, fairly impermeable surface right up to the wall, abutting (garden?) wall.
In that order.

Seconded. The ground level is likely causing the bulk of the issue, it's the most work to resolve correctly but will probably have the biggest single effect on drying your walls.

 

[Penners]

Thirded. Ditto to Marm's gutter comment.

 

[MetManMark]

Hi
A couple of answers to the questions:

Yes it is a safe but it is in the recess to the right of the chimney - which is blocked off. There is a vent but I think that this is just to the chimney.

I don't quite understand the comment about the corrugated roof. There is a wall that has tiles that are kind of corrugated - the lean too roof is a garage but this doesn't butt up to the house - so I don't think there is the lack of a gutter anywhere...

Cheers
Mark

 

[Penners]

Mark, in your photo called "rear2" it looks as though there's a corrugated roof without guttering, discharging its run-off into the yard (extreme right of the picture). Maybe the picture is misleading?

 

[MetManMark]

Hi
Apologies - the photo isn't great is it - unfortunately I haven't taken any down the side of the house. There is a lean to garage (which our offer included) and then a space for a car and then the gable end of the house that has damp. I can't remember whether the garage roof has guttering or not. The roof is completely shot though so I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a gutter. The land in between the garage and the house is overgrown concreted area - it is all a bit trashed and it may well be that it slopes slightly towards the house. Again - not great.

The wall in the foreground (that the white door is set into) has some tiles towards the top that look wavy - perhaps this is what people are referring to as being corrugated?

Cheers
Mark

 

[Penners]

Looking at that picture again, I think I see what you mean. There's a pitched roof, running down to the garage(?) wall. The roof seems to stop short, an the top of the wall appears to be roofed with something - if not corrugated then perhaps some sort of pantile? Anyway, it definitely looks as though the run-off from that roof can fall straight into the yard.

One other thought: those apparently pointless vents are a metre or so up the wall inside, but are close to ground level outside. I wonder whether rain-bounce could intrude into the wall or the interior, through them?

 

[MdB]

Looking at that picture again, I think I see what you mean. There's a pitched roof, running down to the garage(?) wall. The roof seems to stop short, an the top of the wall appears to be roofed with something - if not corrugated then perhaps some sort of pantile? Anyway, it definitely looks as though the run-off from that roof can fall straight into the yard.

My understanding is that the feature with the white door in it is just a wall, hence the run off from the top of it is completely insignificant. The roof that appears to be coming out of the top of the wall is actually separated by an alley way (which is illuminated by that light). Could be wrong.

 

[MetManMark]

OK - I found a photo of the lean-to garage that will also (hopefully one day) be ours. The guttering is there for all to see... as well as the state of the ground that is next to the gable end of the house with the damp... Sorry - should have posted this earlier.
Cheers
Mark