Old house new(ish) extension & dodgy plaster help (pics)

Hi,

I had the decorators in to do some painting on a house i have just bought. During their prep some of the plaster in places started coming off, particularly in the lower areas. Most of it seems fine but there are a few problem areas such as most worringly:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79436684@N00/1322390611/
and:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79436684@N00/1322391347/in/photostream/
and:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79436684@N00/1322390991/in/photostream/

The first one is a worry because when i pulled back the skirting there is a gap between the cement floor supporting the existing laminate and the masonry wall. This gap is filled with sand/dirt.

Any remediation strategies?

Hi,
In all of the photos, it looks as though there might be damp creeping up the wall, especially photo no. 2.The wall in photo no.1 looks as if there is a tide mark 6" or so up the wall.I don't know what to make of the soil/sand! In photo no.3,somebody had a go at patching,and seemed to be following a crack in the wall.Doesn't seem to be much of a key on the wall.To remedy? If there is damp then that would be the first priority.It wouldn't be much of a problem to repair the walls.Cut back all the affected plaster,treat the wall and re-plaster.Going back to photo no.1 again,if you are unsure and worried about it,get someone to look at it to give you some advice.

Roughcaster.

the sand and dirt might be the remains of wood that has rotted and been eaten by insects. Looks to me like a pier where two rooms have been knocked through. There's probably a beam on top of it, holdimg up the next floor and wall of the house.

Are all of these at ground level? and are photos 2 and 3 on outside walls?

Roughcaster

roughcaster said:

Are all of these at ground level? and are photos 2 and 3 on outside walls?

Roughcaster

Click to expand...

yes this is ground level. and to the other poster there was a little bit of rotted wood in the "sandy" gap.