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- 6 Jan 2005
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Hi all, have an approx. 80yr old house, with one wall very damp.
The adjoining drive was higher by about 10-15cm, and the cavity was (and in places still is) 1m deep in compacted (presumably) old mortar that's fallen down over time. (At least, that's my interpretation - I guess the whole bricks and bits of rotten 4x2 have been there since it was built though
I've dug a channel in the drive along the house wall about 15cm below the inside floor level, and about 30cm wide. Eventually the whole drive will be lowered, but we've got other priorities for now. Also, I'm in the process of cleaning out the cavity. Anything else I should do now to dry it out? I know I've got to remove and replace the plaster - with something lime based?
The soil is basically clay, and doesn't drain well, and the trench I've dug already reaches the bottom course of bricks - under that appear to be some flat stones. I'm guessing this is all the foundation we've got (which was more or less true on the opposite house wall) so am reluctant to start digging deeper.
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated,
Neal
The adjoining drive was higher by about 10-15cm, and the cavity was (and in places still is) 1m deep in compacted (presumably) old mortar that's fallen down over time. (At least, that's my interpretation - I guess the whole bricks and bits of rotten 4x2 have been there since it was built though
I've dug a channel in the drive along the house wall about 15cm below the inside floor level, and about 30cm wide. Eventually the whole drive will be lowered, but we've got other priorities for now. Also, I'm in the process of cleaning out the cavity. Anything else I should do now to dry it out? I know I've got to remove and replace the plaster - with something lime based?
The soil is basically clay, and doesn't drain well, and the trench I've dug already reaches the bottom course of bricks - under that appear to be some flat stones. I'm guessing this is all the foundation we've got (which was more or less true on the opposite house wall) so am reluctant to start digging deeper.
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated,
Neal