Hi folks,
I've just bought a 1930's house. The foundation walls in the basement all have the usual black damp proof material on the top before the joists. Also the exterior walls have a layer of black bitumen or something similar, which is all great.
But one corner of the kitchen doesn't appear to have either. (It's definately an original part of the building but is a small alcove, probably a larder originally)
Photo here:
The exterior wall in the picture appears to have concrete covered on the inside which the rest of the house doesn't have I don't think. Behin the concrete layer is just brick. (This is damp at the bottom as you can see in pic due to below ground level) and there's no damp proof I can see to stop it rising. (Top of wall in pic is the start of the plaster.) The bricks on the side wall to the left beyond the pic don't have this concrete layer but still can't see the damp proof layer that the rest of the exterior walls have.
The area is slightly damp including the joists (although I think this is condensation coming down rather than rising as there was condensation on the wall behind the old kitchen cupboard) No rot at all but the floor boards were a different width than the rest of the the room making me think the boards and joists have been replaced in the past (maybe due to rot?) but if they were it wasn't recently.
Any thoughts?
Before I replace the boards and fit my kitchen I'm thinking put a DPM layer between bricks and joists (easy enough for me) but what about walls, do I need injection done on them or something? Is it worth risking leaving them. (Surely if the damp was rising the joists would be rotted by now, no?)
Thanks for any adbive on this..
EDIT: Now OK got some advice, going to lift the joists and put DPM between brick & joist & leave walls.. thanks folks..
I've just bought a 1930's house. The foundation walls in the basement all have the usual black damp proof material on the top before the joists. Also the exterior walls have a layer of black bitumen or something similar, which is all great.
But one corner of the kitchen doesn't appear to have either. (It's definately an original part of the building but is a small alcove, probably a larder originally)
Photo here:
The area is slightly damp including the joists (although I think this is condensation coming down rather than rising as there was condensation on the wall behind the old kitchen cupboard) No rot at all but the floor boards were a different width than the rest of the the room making me think the boards and joists have been replaced in the past (maybe due to rot?) but if they were it wasn't recently.
Any thoughts?
Before I replace the boards and fit my kitchen I'm thinking put a DPM layer between bricks and joists (easy enough for me) but what about walls, do I need injection done on them or something? Is it worth risking leaving them. (Surely if the damp was rising the joists would be rotted by now, no?)
Thanks for any adbive on this..
EDIT: Now OK got some advice, going to lift the joists and put DPM between brick & joist & leave walls.. thanks folks..
