I am currently ripping back the internal walls of a downstairs room, getting rid of the last remnants of lath & plaster in our house.
Initially, the removal of the lath & plaster from the window wall to the front of the house left a damp smell for a few days, but this has since dissipated and I put it down to the 100 year old material build up behind the walls not allowing air to circulate (suspended timber floor).
However, I have since discovered that the air vent to the front, an old fashioned metal grate affair, was actually only half open, the bottom half being below ground level.
I have now dug out a small area to fully open the vent as per photograph.
There is a similar vent to the rear of this room, but it is entirely unblocked and above ground level.
My query is, should I now carry out renovations to the ground in front of the house, lowering the footpath level, so as to allow the vent to be open as it should...?
I don't doubt that during periods of heavy rain, water was pouring in through this vent and beneath the floor...!
Initially, the removal of the lath & plaster from the window wall to the front of the house left a damp smell for a few days, but this has since dissipated and I put it down to the 100 year old material build up behind the walls not allowing air to circulate (suspended timber floor).
However, I have since discovered that the air vent to the front, an old fashioned metal grate affair, was actually only half open, the bottom half being below ground level.
I have now dug out a small area to fully open the vent as per photograph.
There is a similar vent to the rear of this room, but it is entirely unblocked and above ground level.
My query is, should I now carry out renovations to the ground in front of the house, lowering the footpath level, so as to allow the vent to be open as it should...?
I don't doubt that during periods of heavy rain, water was pouring in through this vent and beneath the floor...!