simples

[billybuntus]

Sounds like fitting central heating would be a start

 

[worms]

I was running along the path holding a lump hammer and just happened to jump up and bang a hole in the wall!

"Please sir, a big boy did it and ran away!"

 

[fluffytail10]

Billy, I think you're right, next job will be replacing boiler and adding some rads upstairs and in the reception rooms - though I am kind of tempted to open up the enormous fireplace in the bedroom -has been converted into a cupboard - and putting in a little woodburner.

 

[vicky whitworth]

Don't you chaps have huge electricity bills judging by the amount of dehumidifiers in action? And the noise of the things, the infernal noise? I can see a dehumidifier as a temporary solution but some of you seem to have this as a permanent arrangement. Are you all rich? Vicky

 

[Zebra]

Well, I don't like to question the experienced opinions you're getting here, but I did have a similar problem of water running down the walls. It was on a downstairs wall though - is your problem upstairs or downstairs, you don't say?
On the external wall at the back of my chimney, there was a cement render inside and outside. The inside was painted with a glossy flamingo pink paint. (The flamingo pink isn't relevant, I'm just hoping to elicit horror and perhaps sympathy!....) The paint internally was blistering, and when I scraped at it, the blisters burst and water ran out. In my case, removing the cement render inside and out did make a difference. As did installing a woodburner in the fireplace in question. The source of the water was due to the soft porous bricks drawing up the water from the ground, external ground levels being too high, and the renders trapping it within the wall. The house had also been unheated for two years.
As well as removing the cement render inside and out, I also lowered the external ground levels, and repaired the lime pointing. Now the walls are dry to the touch even though this wall has no damp proof course.

 

[fluffytail10]

Thanks Zebra, the wall is wet both upstairs and downstairs. Down stairs I guess is rising damp, I have lowered the ground levels and the wall is in a cupboard so it is not plastered. The bricks are still wet though, which I suspect (after reading lots of posts on here) is because the floor in that room is concrete and the floor is cupboard is bare brick, so that's where all the damp from under the floor is escaping.

Upstairs, the wall is probably damp from water coming through the little cracks in the cement render, but where all the condensation is coming from is a mystery. It's only a bedroom !

xx

 

[worms]

Upstairs, the wall is probably damp from water coming through the little cracks in the cement render, but where all the condensation is coming from is a mystery. It's only a bedroom !

With the wall that wet, it will make the humidity in the room high. I would imagine that it would then condense out again on the cold, wet walls as the air temperature rises above the wall temperature.

Being impatient and reckless, I'd be out with the lump hammer attacking the external render, but caution is probably a much better approach!

 

[MdB]

Upstairs, the wall is probably damp from water coming through the little cracks in the cement render, but where all the condensation is coming from is a mystery. It's only a bedroom !

With the wall that wet, it will make the humidity in the room high. I would imagine that it would then condense out again on the cold, wet walls as the air temperature rises above the wall temperature.

Being impatient and reckless, I'd be out with the lump hammer attacking the external render, but caution is probably a much better approach!

I've very glad the PPUK doesn't have a "+1" or a "like" button, but I completely agree with worms..

 

[fluffytail10]

Well we had a builder round today to give advice about the roof - he said it was fine, and we asked him about removing the concrete render from the end wall. He said "well it shouldn't have ever been put on but you'll never get it off. If you try it will cost thousands."

Is he right? :roll:

 

[angrybird]

if there is already damp in the walls the cement render shouldn't be that difficult to take off,give it a tap in a few places if it sounds hollow it should come off easy peazy! if its being stubborn I found the SDS drill with a chisel attachment did the trick
Don't always believe the builders! get at least 3 quotes or try it yourself, this bit took me about 2 hours.The house is lovely and dry on that side now
good luck
Jacqueline x

 

[fluffytail10]

Thanks angry - did you need to repoint the brick work or clean it up afterwards?

 

[angrybird]

the bricks are far too soft to leave them exposed so eventually its going to be lime rendered

J x

 

[Zebra]

I'm with Angrybird. I took mine off myself. It took ages but I did a bit at a time. It was easy in places, and stubborn in places. I had to repoint in places, and I also rerendered, although some places were almost good enough not to. Now if I'd paid myself at a decent day rate to do all that, yes it would have cost thousands.

 

[JohnB]

Mine's coming off quite easily. Most would come off by hand, with lots of hard work, but it's much easier and quicker with an SDS chisel. I think you need to do a test bit by hand first, to make sure it doesn't damage the wall. In my case, most of the render is loose enough to come off easily, except for the vandalised bits of wall that have been filled in using cement mortar. I've done some damage to the brick lintels, but damage to the stone is negligible.

 

[fluffytail10]

Right well i have begun removing the render by hand - hammer and chisel. In the hollow sounding bits it is just coming off but where it is stuck it is really stuck, and when the cement render comes away lumps of brick are coming with it!! Is there a better way to do it?

And yes the wall underneath really is soaking wet, so I am convinced removing the render is the best thing to do.We have a specialist builder coming in a few weeks to tidy up the brickwork and remove the stubborn bits. He says the more render i can remove myself..the less i'll have to pay him, so want to remove as much as I can.

Any ideas on a less damaging removal method?

thanks

 

[fluffytail10]

Ahhhhh. What I have discovered is this. The old render was removed very badly, there are chisel marks all over the bricks. Where the chisel has broken the surface of the brick is where the render has stuck. Mmmmmm looks awful. :roll:

 

[Zebra]

What sort of chisel are you using? A scutch or comb chisel (two names for the same thing) can do less damage but there will still be scarring. I didn't manage mine without some damage. Leaving some bricks with patches of cement still stuck to them won't hurt if you are re-rendering, as the wall will breathe round the patches..

 

[fluffytail10]

Well after a couple of days I've removed a fair bit of render and ...OMG. The bricks underneath are awful, the ones in good condition have horrible gouge marks in from previous render removal, there are old breeze blocks inserted with what looks like some kind of concrete foam, and lots of the bricks are crumbling away or have huge cracks in them - I say huge but wide enough to fit a piece of paper into and therefore easily wide enough for water. The wall underneath the render is soaking, so with all the cracks it's no wonder we have a damp problem.

Just to put my mind at rest, it's not possible it's the render holding the walls up is it? some of the bricks are just piles of dust! :shock:

fluff

 

[Zebra]

Well, again, no expert but I found brickwork to be quite resilient - don't take my word for it of course and if you're genuinely afraid that the brickwork is collapsing then be careful, but I had a hole in the side of my chimney that I could have crawled through but it didn't collapse. Where there are weak spots the surrounding area often takes up the strain and the load of the building is spread through the strongest parts. It is very unlikely that the render could be taking the weight of the building, with the roof on top as well, as it would buckle and collapse itself if this were the case. I too thought that perhaps the render was holding the house up, but it wasn't.
Given the state of your brickwork you could perhaps remove the render carefully with an angle grinder and a diamond blade - diamond blades are a girl's best friend after all - kind of scraping the blade over the surface of the brick to remove the remains of the render, this can in fact knock the house about less than hammer and chisel, if it is fragile. I am guessing you will have to rerender, but not in cement, obviously. You can repoint if necessary, I too had to replace many of the bricks which were mushy or broken. You could replace the breeze block replacements too. This is probably turning into a bigger task than you thought..... The house will dry, give it time. What a horrible discovery, but at least you will have the opportunity to put it right, and solve the damp issues too. No wonder you have a damp problem.

 

[fluffytail10]

thank you, i can sleep easily zzzzzzzzzzzzz