martherer
Member
- Messages
- 5
- Location
- North London
We recently moved in to a Victorian end terrace in North London. The kitchen is in the back room with the bathroom above.
The back of the house is rendered in roughcast. This is not original - it may have been to treat the damp and/or to cover some alterations to the brickwork (a door has been filled in and an outhouse removed.) The render has one or two obvious long hairline cracks and is there are lots of tiny cracks in the surface paint which may or may not go through, but basically it seems in good condition - even and well-adhered to the wall.
We have replaced a pipe that was been dumping about a teacup of water into the ground behind the kitchen every time the toilet was flushed for years. As you'd expect, there is awful damp in the back and party walls.
I'd like to get the render off to help the wall dry out, but I don't think the wall will be in any state to keep exposed afterwards. We removed some small patches to add extra airbricks and the face of the bricks came off as well. The bricks are soft, red and crumbling at ground level, and from the neighbouring houses probably a buttery yellow colour higher up.
What's the best way to proceed? Is there a way to remove the render without damaging the bricks? If not, can I get the render off, leave the bricks exposed for a year or so while the wall dries then recover with something beathable (what?) Or am I best off just repairing the render and letting the wall dry from the inside?
Thanks
Liz
The back of the house is rendered in roughcast. This is not original - it may have been to treat the damp and/or to cover some alterations to the brickwork (a door has been filled in and an outhouse removed.) The render has one or two obvious long hairline cracks and is there are lots of tiny cracks in the surface paint which may or may not go through, but basically it seems in good condition - even and well-adhered to the wall.
We have replaced a pipe that was been dumping about a teacup of water into the ground behind the kitchen every time the toilet was flushed for years. As you'd expect, there is awful damp in the back and party walls.
I'd like to get the render off to help the wall dry out, but I don't think the wall will be in any state to keep exposed afterwards. We removed some small patches to add extra airbricks and the face of the bricks came off as well. The bricks are soft, red and crumbling at ground level, and from the neighbouring houses probably a buttery yellow colour higher up.
What's the best way to proceed? Is there a way to remove the render without damaging the bricks? If not, can I get the render off, leave the bricks exposed for a year or so while the wall dries then recover with something beathable (what?) Or am I best off just repairing the render and letting the wall dry from the inside?
Thanks
Liz