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Hi. I've been combatting damp problems in my victorian end-of-terrace (built 1880). I got rid of the concrete slab in front of my front wall, and dug down to the stepped foundation, and hacked off all the cement render that was between the pebbledash and about halfway down the exposed bricks you see in the pics.
The mortar in this wall looks like earth. When I initially took the mortar off, it was like soggy mud, which then dried out. Over the winter it did start to get muddy again though, which surprised me as it's so exposed now. There was some algae on it too, which I've removed.
Anyway, I'm going to slope the ground slightly away from the house at the bottom of the trench, line it with a non-woven membrane, and fill it with 20mm pea gravel which I'll rinse first. I'm hoping this will keep the damp soil away from the house and let the moisture evaporate naturally from the foundations.
I'm unclear about what to do with the wall base though. If I leave it exposed, will it get damp and grow algae, attracting yet more moisture? Should I render it with NHL? I know I shouldn't seal it, but would NHL improve matters?
All thoughts welcome!
TIA
The mortar in this wall looks like earth. When I initially took the mortar off, it was like soggy mud, which then dried out. Over the winter it did start to get muddy again though, which surprised me as it's so exposed now. There was some algae on it too, which I've removed.
Anyway, I'm going to slope the ground slightly away from the house at the bottom of the trench, line it with a non-woven membrane, and fill it with 20mm pea gravel which I'll rinse first. I'm hoping this will keep the damp soil away from the house and let the moisture evaporate naturally from the foundations.
I'm unclear about what to do with the wall base though. If I leave it exposed, will it get damp and grow algae, attracting yet more moisture? Should I render it with NHL? I know I shouldn't seal it, but would NHL improve matters?
All thoughts welcome!
TIA