I live in a 1910 edwardian terraced property in Yorkshire with a cellar under the whole house. The cellar area at the back of the house is partially underground but also has a door and steps up into the garden. It currently house the boiler, washing machine and tumble dryer.
The cellar room at the back of the house is slightly damp - there is no water ingress, however the walls can be slightly damp to touch at the bottom in areas and if you leave a cardboard box down there for a few days it will go a bit soft. The boiler is down there but there are no radiators. The walls have been painted at some point however this is flaking off in parts and the underlying brickwork isn't in the best condition in places.
I would like to make this more of a servicable room so it could be used as an occasional office for working from home without spending a fortune on a full conversion. I am not sure what to do about the walls, reducing the damp as far as possible and whether to install a radiator:
1) Walls - is it an option to strip the paint off these and re paint with masonary paint? If so, how would I best strip the paint?
2) Radiator - would installing a radiator help alleviate the damp issues? It is currently very cold down there in the winter.
It's worth noting as well that there is ventilation in the form of a chimney breast which used to house an old range and a window which can be left cracked open, so no shortage of ventilation down there.
The cellar room at the back of the house is slightly damp - there is no water ingress, however the walls can be slightly damp to touch at the bottom in areas and if you leave a cardboard box down there for a few days it will go a bit soft. The boiler is down there but there are no radiators. The walls have been painted at some point however this is flaking off in parts and the underlying brickwork isn't in the best condition in places.
I would like to make this more of a servicable room so it could be used as an occasional office for working from home without spending a fortune on a full conversion. I am not sure what to do about the walls, reducing the damp as far as possible and whether to install a radiator:
1) Walls - is it an option to strip the paint off these and re paint with masonary paint? If so, how would I best strip the paint?
2) Radiator - would installing a radiator help alleviate the damp issues? It is currently very cold down there in the winter.
It's worth noting as well that there is ventilation in the form of a chimney breast which used to house an old range and a window which can be left cracked open, so no shortage of ventilation down there.