Neil_C
Member
- Messages
- 2
- Location
- United Kingdom
Hi All,
I'm looking for advice on how to deal with a penetrating damp problem. The house was built around 1900 and has an outer sandstone / gritstone wall, cavity and inner brick wall. Based on what we've seen when replacing windows, the cavity has all sorts of debris in it.
We have a gable end wall that now has multiple damp patches inside (gypsum plaster, emulsion paint) and at all levels. We were aware of a damp problem when we bought the house (about 4 years ago) and initially put this down to the old roof which was replaced shortly after moving in. The next year the damp returned (after re-plastering!) so we then had the house re-pointed as the old pointing was fairly poor in places and had been locally repaired in the past. We used sand cement mortar as our neighbour had done the same a few years before and doesn't have any damp problems.
Last winter we didn't have any problems but it was very dry. This winter though has been very wet and the sandstone outer looks damp. So i think it's a fairly clear case of penetrating damp with water saturating the sandstone outer and then bridging across the cavity wherever it can and then getting into the interior brick and plaster.
So the question is what can be done? Doubtless there will be recommendations to replace the pointing with lime mortar but i don't see how this would stop the water coming through the wall and getting to the cavity. We seem to have the worst combination of the gable wall being exposed to weather but also shaded so doesn't dry well. Re-plastering the inner with lime plaster would be a huge job too.
Is there any value in using something like Storm Dry (waits to be shot down in flames!). At least this might help in the short term while we save for any major refurb works.
Would anyone recommend getting an independent damp survey. There's a company nearby but they charge £600 and it sounds like they might just tell me what I already know.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Neil
I'm looking for advice on how to deal with a penetrating damp problem. The house was built around 1900 and has an outer sandstone / gritstone wall, cavity and inner brick wall. Based on what we've seen when replacing windows, the cavity has all sorts of debris in it.
We have a gable end wall that now has multiple damp patches inside (gypsum plaster, emulsion paint) and at all levels. We were aware of a damp problem when we bought the house (about 4 years ago) and initially put this down to the old roof which was replaced shortly after moving in. The next year the damp returned (after re-plastering!) so we then had the house re-pointed as the old pointing was fairly poor in places and had been locally repaired in the past. We used sand cement mortar as our neighbour had done the same a few years before and doesn't have any damp problems.
Last winter we didn't have any problems but it was very dry. This winter though has been very wet and the sandstone outer looks damp. So i think it's a fairly clear case of penetrating damp with water saturating the sandstone outer and then bridging across the cavity wherever it can and then getting into the interior brick and plaster.
So the question is what can be done? Doubtless there will be recommendations to replace the pointing with lime mortar but i don't see how this would stop the water coming through the wall and getting to the cavity. We seem to have the worst combination of the gable wall being exposed to weather but also shaded so doesn't dry well. Re-plastering the inner with lime plaster would be a huge job too.
Is there any value in using something like Storm Dry (waits to be shot down in flames!). At least this might help in the short term while we save for any major refurb works.
Would anyone recommend getting an independent damp survey. There's a company nearby but they charge £600 and it sounds like they might just tell me what I already know.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Neil
