The several deluges we've had since Christmas have played havoc with one of my walls which takes the most weathering. I've attached a picture of the wall and an example of the damp finding its way inside. But below are some brief details:
Construction: Old/London Yellow stock bricks & some multi-red, no cavity.
Condition: Re-pointed 4.5 years ago when I bought the property. Roof was just done and while scaffolding was up pointing examined and found to be fine.
The wall in question is the gable end, the land falls away several meters, so neighbouring properties barely reach a height equivalent to my first floor. As such the wall is open to weathering and seems visibly wet after heavy rain. I have had some spot damp issues 4 years ago (just after I completed refurb), but they were resolved by examining the areas where it came in and addressing minor pointing issues, problems with window sills, seals around extractor, etc (windows are also new BTW).
The subsequent 3 years everything appeared to be fine, but this last winter/spring I've had serious Damp issues spread throughout the wall. They don't seem to be tied to any particular area, just spots of damp appearing all over.
My neighbour (on the other side) who essentially has a Twin of my house (only two that were built together and of same construction) has also reported Damp issues. But his are not restricted to one wall and I suspect thats down to pointing issues/window seals/etc throughout (the builder that refurb'd his house appears to have bodged several things). Also he's shielded from the worst of the weather by my property, the driving rain always seems to come from the side of my affected wall. My other walls have no issues with Damp.
We've both consulted builders independently and received some similar options:
1) Render the walls.
2) Leave it as is, this was an exceptional year and lots of people have had similar issues (although my neighbour has been advised to address specific pointing/seal issues/etc).
3) Apply some sort of clear brick sealant/water repellant.
Option 1 will affect the property value, so is definitely not an Option.
Option 2 I'm apprehensive about repairing the issues inside and then having it all happen again this winter or the next
Option 3 I've read scare stories of sealants/repellants causing other issues and not being removable once applied.
I've been mulling this over for a bit and the fact we havent had a prolonged dry period has allowed me to put the decision off (option 3 requires the wall to be dry). But now summer is over and this is likely to be our last period of sustained dry weather, therefore I really need to decide if I want to go with Option 3 or not.
Any advice and experience would be greatly appreciated, really don't want to make the wrong decision and Apply something to my bricks which can't be removed
Construction: Old/London Yellow stock bricks & some multi-red, no cavity.
Condition: Re-pointed 4.5 years ago when I bought the property. Roof was just done and while scaffolding was up pointing examined and found to be fine.
The wall in question is the gable end, the land falls away several meters, so neighbouring properties barely reach a height equivalent to my first floor. As such the wall is open to weathering and seems visibly wet after heavy rain. I have had some spot damp issues 4 years ago (just after I completed refurb), but they were resolved by examining the areas where it came in and addressing minor pointing issues, problems with window sills, seals around extractor, etc (windows are also new BTW).
The subsequent 3 years everything appeared to be fine, but this last winter/spring I've had serious Damp issues spread throughout the wall. They don't seem to be tied to any particular area, just spots of damp appearing all over.
My neighbour (on the other side) who essentially has a Twin of my house (only two that were built together and of same construction) has also reported Damp issues. But his are not restricted to one wall and I suspect thats down to pointing issues/window seals/etc throughout (the builder that refurb'd his house appears to have bodged several things). Also he's shielded from the worst of the weather by my property, the driving rain always seems to come from the side of my affected wall. My other walls have no issues with Damp.
We've both consulted builders independently and received some similar options:
1) Render the walls.
2) Leave it as is, this was an exceptional year and lots of people have had similar issues (although my neighbour has been advised to address specific pointing/seal issues/etc).
3) Apply some sort of clear brick sealant/water repellant.
Option 1 will affect the property value, so is definitely not an Option.
Option 2 I'm apprehensive about repairing the issues inside and then having it all happen again this winter or the next
Option 3 I've read scare stories of sealants/repellants causing other issues and not being removable once applied.
I've been mulling this over for a bit and the fact we havent had a prolonged dry period has allowed me to put the decision off (option 3 requires the wall to be dry). But now summer is over and this is likely to be our last period of sustained dry weather, therefore I really need to decide if I want to go with Option 3 or not.
Any advice and experience would be greatly appreciated, really don't want to make the wrong decision and Apply something to my bricks which can't be removed
