I wonder what's going on beneath the surface?

[Sandsni]

Having read some of the posts, I'm beginning to wonder what might be going on unseen in my house and the adjoining semi. In both cases there has been work done before I had anything to do with either. In the case of my house, I know any work was carried out by competent people, but the house next door (although it originally belonged to my great grandfather) has passed through several hands before it came back to my family. I also know as long as I keep my house adequately heated and ventilated I don't encounter any problems with damp, and our builder says there aren't any obvious signs of structural problems (although he says the roof will need done at some point, so I'm saving for that and hoping I might be able to apply for a partial grant).

Unfortunately, with the house next door, I don't know what methods have been employed "before my time". Since tenants never seem to understand about heating and ventilation, it's very hard to accurately ascertain what is genuinely a problem with the external walls, floors or roofing. Also, a previous owner added a flat-roofed kitchen extension in the late 60s (which has 3 external, probably non-cavity, walls, oh joy!).

So now I'm looking at my house and the one next door and wondering whether I should leave well-enough alone or start saving seriously hard and dig a bit deeper!

Any thoughts (and please don't scare me too much)?

 

[Feltwell]

My thought is the usual "if it's not broke, don't fix it".

The chances are that both houses have had something done to them that is not ideal, probably more to your neighbouring house. But the use of materials such as cement aren't certain to cause problems, they may cause problems. My whole house has been repointed (badly) with cement mortar, which can cause damp - but actually only the entrance porch is damp, and I think that's due to the roof. So do I need to repoint the whole place in the short term just because it's been done in cement mortar? No, because it's not causing damp. Yes, at some point, because the pointing has been done to a poor standard and is failing in places and this will eventually cause problems.

If the houses aren't obviously damp, have no obvious structural issues and no other problems you can see then don't worry. Just keep up the usual maintenance work such as making sure guttering is clear of leaves and doesn't leak, drains are clear, external painting is kept up to scratch etc.

Any roof has a finite life. They can be repaired indefinitely (and you can extend their life significantly by keeping on top of minor repairs) but you do reach a point where it becomes more economic to strip the roof covering and start again.

 

[Penners]

I have nothing to add to Feltwell's excellent advice, other than my support for it...

...and a recommendation not to get your hopes up about a grant.

 

[Sandsni]

Thanks for the comments. I was of the same mind (to maintain things as best I can and then fix as and when any serious things arise), but wasn't sure if it was just complacency on my part and maybe I was saving up a bunch of trouble for myself later!

 

[MatthewC]

My whole house has been repointed (badly) with cement mortar, which can cause damp - but actually only the entrance porch is damp, and I think that's due to the roof. So do I need to repoint the whole place in the short term just because it's been done in cement mortar? No, because it's not causing damp. Yes, at some point, because the pointing has been done to a poor standard and is failing in places and this will eventually cause problems.

But cement pointing can also cause spalling and erosion of brick or stone as seen on my local church:

Admittedly that is a long term process, but it will nevertheless be expensive to repair at some stage!

I would only add to Feltwell's advice with a suggestion to check for high ground around the base of the walls, and the need for a good inspection of chimney flashings - both these can exist but not be noticed for ages....

 

[Penners]

Cement pointing can be a contributory factor to spalling like that, but it's not exclusively and unequivocally the cause. Some stone is just more prone to spalling than other types. Minute fissures can fill with water, which freezes in winter and pushes the layers of stone apart.