more damp problems!

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We have a damp wall - this is because the said wall is underground (back of house) and backdoor is upstairs. We can't afford (there doesn't seem to be any grants for dampproofing) to have anything major done now (due to all other problems!) and we've been told that it needs to be tanked internally. Please can anyone help with suggestions on how to keep the problem from spreading before we can save up enough to have the problem seen to? There is a dehumidifer going at the moment. The annoying thing is that when we got the house, it came with a dampproof certificate from a company who has now gone extinct 20-odd yrs ago.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Anonymous]

This is not going to be simple because part of your house is underground.
Need more info - what is the wall made of? Could you dig down to internal floor level on the outside face of the wall? And any other details you can think of.
If possible avoid tanking and explore all other routes. Mike.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mike,

The wall is approx 12 inch thick stone. The property is about 200 yrs old. It would be impossible to dig outside as there is another wall running parallel less than 2 metres away. Also there would have to be a big hole dug - over 3metres deep plus to below ground floor level, I guess. Its a big problem!

Alex

 

[Anonymous]

Try a site search for threads about cellars or basements. I suppose the real problem is that these rooms were never intended to be used for storing much more than coal, or things that needed to be kept cool, so the fact that they inevitably tended to be damp was never a problem - until now, when we're desperate to use every square inch of space that's available.

 

[Anonymous]

I would recommend fixing a layer of insulated plasterboard to the inside surface. Best way to fix is with mechanical fixings. (screws)

The insulation layer is closed cell so is a very effective waterproofer. The whole deal will warm the wall up reducing condensation. It is relatively cheap to do and completely reversible with no long term damage to the building fabric. I have specified this many times as an interim measure but it works so well most people end up keeping it for many years.

I would recommend 40 or 50mm Lafarge Tempcheck board (and no, I don't sell the stuff)