Think I've found where the damp is coming from...

[Greg.hart]

So I've spent the past few days looking round the rather unforgiving conversation to the GII basement flat I've brought and all the bits of work that need doing - can see a few more posts in the next few months.

My 1st priority (the other half seems to think the garden is the most important thing but hey) is the damp, which is bearable in the most part but really fairly bad esp regarding the smell in the bedroom which is at the front of the property.

Now the internal walls seemed fine but it looks like some of the joint between the concrete floor and brick wall outside has failed and so will need to repair this but investigating further I found what I presume to be a larder / cold room???

Entrance

It's about 1.5m sq with a brick arched roof and rock and rubble side walls about 5 and 3/4 ft tall

Have drawn a little plan

And this is one of the things I found when I entered what i thought was going to be a small storage cupboard.

The wonderful workmanship blocking up presumably the old door...

Apologies for the bad pics will try and get some better ones over the weekend

Now the previous owner had a load of card and paper in there which wasn't helping matters so have removed that but when raining yesterday there was a load of moisture everywhere.

So 2 questions I guess

A. What do you think it was originally.

B. how to i get it to a usable state or should I treat the blocked entrance into the bedroom as the outside wall brick it up, and lower the floor level and put in some drainage and see where we go from there?

 

[Penners]

Greg - I'm not sure I fully understand all of your questions, but as regards the damp, I'm a bit suspicious of one area of brickwork in your top picture.

Just above and to the right of the window (top RH corner of photo) is an area of brickwork that looks darker than the rest. Could this be damp - maybe caused by a dodgy gutter or downpipe?

Needless to say, in the basement you are the most vulnerable to any sources of damp from above.

 

[NT]

Unfortunately your description, pictures and plan are as clear as mud in my mind. If its a small low ceiling space with vaulted brick ceiling it might have been a water cistern originally.


NT

 

[Nemesis]

Where is it situated? Not a coal store is it?

 

[Greg.hart]

Have managed to upload the plan which might help a bit.

It's underneath the path leading from the street to front door of the flats above.

Don't think that it would have been a coal store as would imagine some sort of access from street level?

Could have been a water cistern, certainly damp enough in there!

I guess I'm just trying to work out what to do with it? Whether to accept the fact that it will always be damp and use it for storage or whether to try and dry it out and use it for something else.

Will get some better pics over the weekend.

 

[Aidan]

Have managed to upload the plan which might help a bit.

It's underneath the path leading from the street to front door of the flats above.

Don't think that it would have been a coal store as would imagine some sort of access from street level?

Coal store, coal dumped in usually through a circular cover in the path/pavement, possibly now paved or tarmacced over. It should be visible in the ceiling.