dampcourse

[vivikin]

can someone tell me how high up the brickwork should a dampcourse be? i have paint peeling and bubbling inside my bay window, outside is the patio with a gap between it and the brickwork with little stones in the gap, the dampcourse appears to be one brick course up is this enough or could this be the cause of the paint peeling inside, the bay does have a cavity.

any help please would be greatly appreciated

 

[ree]

There's a mass of recent Q's and A's ref this subject. Perhaps research on the search facility above.

Pics will always help your case.

Best practice has the DPC 150mm above the ground level.

Blocked cavities will bridge the DPC.Are air bricks present?

Patios notoriously raise the Ground level to unacceptable heights.

The gap with little stones is probably some kind of attempt at a French drain, installed because the patio is too high.

 

[vivikin]

Hi there, the damp course is only 1 brick up from the stones,
there are no air bricks in the bay, should there be?
there are air bricks across the other part of the wall next to the patio
the only part of the wall with paint coming off is around the bay itself
i have put pictures on of the outside wall, and the brickwork looks chalky and a picture of inside the bay hope you can see them

what do you suggest i do would it be a builder i need? i am alone and dont know who to contact

 

[ree]

Air bricks are not to vent the cavity but to provide ventilation below a suspended floor - do you have a suspended floor?

Cant bricks should be used to turn the corner angles in bay brickwork - you have butted bricks, the cheap, worst option. The long vertical perps are not to be recommended.

Re-pointing needs a rake-out of 20 - 22mm depth.



Pics of the whole bay from inside, and pics of the whole exterior wall and bay would help.

Your posted pics look familiar ... ?

 

[stuart45]

Cant bricks should be used to turn the corner angles in bay brickwork

Cant bricks have a different use.
Squint bricks are best for quarter bond corners, Dogleg for half bond corners.

 

[vivikin]

hi yes the floor is suspended floorboards
i wondered about the joins and queried why they were'nt corner bricks when it was built but was told this was standard and was perfectly ok
my pictures probably look familiar because i originally posted this about 4 weeks ago and you answered me then as well, unfortunately i was unwell and was unable to give it any attention, but have started again now with the hopes of getting it sorted once and for all

i am trying to attach two other photos at the moment but it doesnt seem to be working and im not a youngster so sometimes i just dont know what to do will keep trying though

i assume from your answers so far, that i need to get a builder to see the best way forward

thanks for all your help i appreciate you spending the time on it

 

[vivikin]

Hi Stuart

thanks for you reply although i have to be honest i dont understand those terms.

do you think i should call in a builder and get it changed as it seems like the only solution to me?

 

[vivikin]

Hi Ree
finally i have managed to get the other photo's on

kind regards Viv

 

[stuart45]

Hi Stuart

thanks for you reply although i have to be honest i dont understand those terms.

do you think i should call in a builder and get it changed as it seems like the only solution to me?

A mitred joint is an acceptable method of doing the angles, but it depends on what you want it to look like.

 

[vivikin]

i have never liked the look of it and it depends on cost as to what i do, at the moment i am more bothered by the problem with the paintwork bubbling and peeling which i need to sort out, of course they maybe one and the same problem in which case it has to be sorted, did you see the pictures?[/b]

 

[ree]

Thank you for the pics.

My point about the bricks was that cant, angle or squint - angled corner brickwork is more desirable than long vertical perps which tend to crack, as in pic bay 3.
Whether the brickwork is the source or a contribution to your damp difficulties i cant say.

There's efflorescence on the brickwork face which could indicate damp brick or recent brickwork - i dont know? When was the bay built?
And where does the Rain water pipe discharge to - is there a gulley at the outlet?

Have i asked you - what difference in levels is there between the external ground level and the interior floorboard level?

Does the DPC in the outer skin definitely run all around the bay?

I still cant see any air bricks either in the bay or on the return walls?

Besides the blocked/bridged cavities already mentioned, mortar or debris on cavity ties can bridge moisture across the cavity.

 

[jeds]

Viv, what you have there may be penetrating dampness but it might also be condensation. I would rule out penetration first. The most likely cause of penetration is a bridged cavity - possibly mortar droppings collecting at the base or just poor detailing? The only way to know for sure is to have the cavity inspected. There are two ways you can do that: remove a brick or drill a hold and insert a boroscope. My advice is get a local surveyor to do that for you. NOT a damp proofing surveyor, go to the RICS 'find a surveyor' website and find a local chartered surveyor. Condensation may be due to poor insulation detailing. The inspection should confirm that either way.

As a side note; Ideally the dpc would be 150mm above ground but being lower, on its own, is not the primary cause. There would also need to be a path to track moisture across the cavity. The vertical joints are really a cosmetic thing. Squint bricks would have looked a lot better but I have my doubts you would be able to buy them off the shelf at the correct angle in those bricks. It is possible to hand make squints at any angle from any brick but they would have been pricey.

PS. Did you notice any insulation being built in?

 

[vivikin]

Hi John

i dont remember if any insulation was built in when the bay was built in 1999, but i did have cavity wall insulation in 2008, i did have a builder here doing some other work a while ago and asked him about it and he took a couple of bricks out and said there was nothing dumped it the cavity but im not sure now in retrospect that he looked very low down.
i have also noticed that the guttering around the bay is cracked i was trying to get it replaced a while ago when i had a window company here but apparently there are so many joins and they are welded he said he didnt know where he could get those made and so another problem starts!!!

i think i will take your advice and get a surveyor out to take a look for me.

thank you so much for your help
kind regards
Viv

 

[vivikin]

Hi Ree

the bay was built in 1999 there are two down pipes along the back of the property going into soak aways and both seem to be running freely.
there does'nt seem to be much if any difference between the outside and inside floor levels as best as i can see, there is definately some signs of damp course in the bay but cant see if it goes all the way round but no reason to suppose it doesnt.
there are no air bricks in the bay itself but along the rest of the wall there are two.
i have just thought, but, dont know if it makes any difference? but although the rest of the floor inside is wooden floorboards, the bay itself is concrete.
i have also posted another load of info in answer to someone else's response with dates etc.
i would like to thank you again for all the help you have given me and i will as suggested get a surveyor to take a look for me as i feel totally out of my depth with it all now.
kind regards
Viv

 

[jeds]

Hi John

i dont remember if any insulation was built in when the bay was built in 1999, but i did have cavity wall insulation in 2008, i did have a builder here doing some other work a while ago and asked him about it and he took a couple of bricks out and said there was nothing dumped it the cavity but im not sure now in retrospect that he looked very low down.
i have also noticed that the guttering around the bay is cracked i was trying to get it replaced a while ago when i had a window company here but apparently there are so many joins and they are welded he said he didnt know where he could get those made and so another problem starts!!!

i think i will take your advice and get a surveyor out to take a look for me.

thank you so much for your help
kind regards
Viv

It would still be worth having the cavity thoroughly checked. There are several potential causes here and, in order to specify a once and for all cure, you really need to know exactly what's going on in the cavity.