I recently bought a 1930 semi detached property with cavity walls which had new DG windows and patio doors installed 7 years ago (10 year warranty still valid). I am having two separate but linked issues:
- Severe dampness and mould along right side of patio door (attached image
). There is blown outside render at the right corner of the patio door which I assume is letting water in. The outerleaf bricks of the reveal are wet. I can fix the render issues easily but I am concerned that the patio door has not been fitted properly (is the patio door fitted too far forwards as it is in line with outside of the external leaf rather than inline with the outerleaf inner surface) and there is no vapour barrier between bricks and plaster which led to this problem
- The windows all seem to have been fitted in a similar fashion flush with the outside wall but dry lined reveals. The external wall therefore forms part of the internal window recesses. I get dampness every morning along the inner 2cm or so of the window recess presumably due to cold bridging (see picture where paint is peeling
). Rest of inner recess is fine. This would be where the external leaf bricks lie. The dampness is patchy and varies between windows. It seems to be related to whether there is foam behind the plaster or not. Areas with foam behind them get much less condensation that those that do not. Those areas without foam are very drafty and you can feel a draft when you make a small hole in these areas.
My questions is how best to deal with these issues? I would like to get the job done properly. I have considered installing vertical DPC around the patio door (cold bridging still a problem?) and replastering. For the windows, I have thought about adding expanding foam to fill gaps, putting thermal wall paper (Wallrock) on top of the reveals or removing the window reveals and installing insulated plasterboard. The window reveals have approx 4-5cm depth around them.
Secondly, is it worth getting the window installers back to have a look? Have the windows and patio door been installed incorrectly? The company has very good reviews and I have confirmed 10 year warranty documentation.
Many thanks
- Severe dampness and mould along right side of patio door (attached image
- The windows all seem to have been fitted in a similar fashion flush with the outside wall but dry lined reveals. The external wall therefore forms part of the internal window recesses. I get dampness every morning along the inner 2cm or so of the window recess presumably due to cold bridging (see picture where paint is peeling
My questions is how best to deal with these issues? I would like to get the job done properly. I have considered installing vertical DPC around the patio door (cold bridging still a problem?) and replastering. For the windows, I have thought about adding expanding foam to fill gaps, putting thermal wall paper (Wallrock) on top of the reveals or removing the window reveals and installing insulated plasterboard. The window reveals have approx 4-5cm depth around them.
Secondly, is it worth getting the window installers back to have a look? Have the windows and patio door been installed incorrectly? The company has very good reviews and I have confirmed 10 year warranty documentation.
Many thanks
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