This old retaining wall and the water coming through

[erol_flow]

So I posted a while ago now when I first started on what was a completely blown plaster / cement rendered internal wall.

After taking the wall back to its original granite retaining wall (behind is a hill reaching higher than the whole cottage), I uncovered a tunnel which leads to a spring coming from bare rock face.

The spring is usually dry but sometimes drips a fair bit, have collected a litre of water in around 10 mins from just one of the 6 or so dripping points. (don't know what it's like in winter yet!).

Currently all this water goes into the ground which is some 3ft below the kitchen floor level but obviously contributes I'd have thought quite massively to the dampness.

So I'll be setting up some collection for that water.

Anyways, my question is, this retaining wall has had all summer to dry but is staying wet in a few places. Obviously the water does not come through the large granite stones, but the mortar which is made of an earthy stoney mix... i am going to clean this wall up proper and repoint and wondering if it's a good idea to repoint it with something water proof?

Thanks

 

[malcolm]

That's fun and unusual to find a spring and a tunnel. That's got to be a first on here. Might be handy to have a spring as the world moves towards more crazy.

If the wall was previously waterproofed with concrete it will have become soaking wet and will take good year or two to dry out. If it's only a couple of damp bits after a summer the wall is drying well. I don't think waterproof mortar would aid further drying, and normally waterproof mortar would get you back to where you started - a soaking wet wall that will blow off anything you finish it with.

 

[aockenden]

Omg I can’t get over that tunnel find, it’s the coolest damned thing ever. Wow, people are posting so many cool finds recently. Someone found like a half-cellar underfloor storage thing, some awesome flagstone floors, now this. Looks like a wine storage area to me!

 

[chrisfraser05]

I know its not what you are looking for but I'd be putting soft lighting in there and a fake skeleton as far back as possible then putting a glass door there for maintenance/viewing.

I'd love to find something like that!

 

[Lacan07]

definitely needs atmospheric lighting

 

[erol_flow]

That's fun and unusual to find a spring and a tunnel. That's got to be a first on here. Might be handy to have a spring as the world moves towards more crazy.

If the wall was previously waterproofed with concrete it will have become soaking wet and will take good year or two to dry out. If it's only a couple of damp bits after a summer the wall is drying well. I don't think waterproof mortar would aid further drying, and normally waterproof mortar would get you back to where you started - a soaking wet wall that will blow off anything you finish it with.

I am going to repoint and keep the wall as it is. It appears the ingress is through the mortar which was not addressed when they covered it in several inches of cement.

Also unless I'm wrong, the granite won't need drying as it is impermeable. Which means it's this muddy stoney mix they've used as mortar which is allowing water from the spring line in.

Strangely, I have had a look in the attic space where there is original untouched retaining wall and its pointed in white lime, I guess the stuff downstairs being on the spring line stayed wet and they decided to re-do it before cementing it.

This section of the house is a circa 1900's extention to an 1860's cottage. Originally the wall and spring tunnel would have been part of a small back garden sort of area.

 

[erol_flow]

Haha well defintally will add soft lighting, I am going maybe mosaic the floor and have a little sink and water collection feature, a wooden door incase it's too damp and cold I'm in the winter.


Strange thing is, under all the building materials that were dumped in there, the thing was filled with coal... who wanted wet coal??? Perhaps the coal was somewhere else and they threw it all in there when switching to gas... but now I've got bags of what might be victorian coal!

 

[paulc]

I know its not what you are looking for but I'd be putting soft lighting in there and a fake skeleton as far back as possible then putting a glass door there for maintenance/viewing.

Why stop at a fake skeleton - Plenty of real ones outside that could be pressed in to service
Add a few bits of animatronics to increase the effect, and maybe a sound track to go with the mood lighting.