Ground level in Victorian semi

[kg99p]

Recent arrival to the period property game … Moved in September and already done quite a bit, including repairing some damp ground floor timber towards the rear of the house.

Pictures of the outside are attached. The home report commented that the external ground was higher than ideal. Clearly some evidence that the walls aren’t breathing very well and this may have contributed to subfloor moisture.

We intend to get this outside area altered a bit. Would it be reasonable to dig the slabs up, dig down a bit, and put a French drain in?

Is this what people would recommend ?

 

[Cubist]

Hi There and Welcome,
If theres an opportunity to do so then it's definitely worth getting rid of those slabs near the wall, or moving them out a foot or so, to accommodate French Drain. Right now, at the very least, rainwater splashes will be hitting those sandstone blocks and contributing to their surface damage. It would also be an idea to get rid of the hard cement mortar used around the air-bricks, and perhaps elsewhere, when you can as this too could be contributing to stone damage.

Your first photo suggests to me that there is, or was, a cellar of some kind or perhaps that an overflow pipe from a sink or wc was routed through the floor and out through the air-brick into the waste water drain. If theres a cellar then that pipe may be from an evacuation pump.

Cheers for now,
Cubist

 

[fernicarry]

perhaps that an overflow pipe from a sink or wc was routed through the floor

I was thinking that might be the drain off for the radiators. Only because we have a similar arrangement.

 

[kg99p]

Hi There and Welcome,
If theres an opportunity to do so then it's definitely worth getting rid of those slabs near the wall, or moving them out a foot or so, to accommodate French Drain. Right now, at the very least, rainwater splashes will be hitting those sandstone blocks and contributing to their surface damage. It would also be an idea to get rid of the hard cement mortar used around the air-bricks, and perhaps elsewhere, when you can as this too could be contributing to stone damage.

Your first photo suggests to me that there is, or was, a cellar of some kind or perhaps that an overflow pipe from a sink or wc was routed through the floor and out through the air-brick into the waste water drain. If theres a cellar then that pipe may be from an evacuation pump.

Cheers for now,
Cubist

Thanks so much for your helpful reply.

Yeah I’m really not sure what that pipe is about. No active cellar so to speak at the moment.