We live in an 80 year old mid terrace and have a problem with damp in our front walls.
Just outside where the damp seems worst, we have the gutter downpipe for the surrounding terraces. It is cast iron and has a downpipe shoe at the end going into a sort of gulley type drain and presumed soakaway underneath.
Every time it rains water will collect at the front of our house between the front wall and a front boundary wall (about a metre in height, maybe 60 cm between the front boundary wall and front house wall)). Apart from the drain the whole area is concrete.
Im not sure how best to sort the problem. Assuming the soakaway is blocked (highly likely due to the amount of moss and leaves on our roof and the age of the property) how would i even go about digging it out? Would it also run under the pavement? This seems unlikely in principle but im not sure how else it would be big enough to drain the water away.
Another idea id thought of (im sure id not be allowed) would be to divert the drainpipe into the road by removing a brick from the boundary wall and connecting a short section of plastic pipe between the existing downpipe and the brick wall. This would lead to the water flowing over the pavement into the road!
A friend has suggested breaking up the concrete at the front of the house and replacing it with some decorative shingle. This would allow the water to soak in over the area but im concerned it would just increase the problem.
Whats the best way to solve this in a property of this age?
Just outside where the damp seems worst, we have the gutter downpipe for the surrounding terraces. It is cast iron and has a downpipe shoe at the end going into a sort of gulley type drain and presumed soakaway underneath.
Every time it rains water will collect at the front of our house between the front wall and a front boundary wall (about a metre in height, maybe 60 cm between the front boundary wall and front house wall)). Apart from the drain the whole area is concrete.
Im not sure how best to sort the problem. Assuming the soakaway is blocked (highly likely due to the amount of moss and leaves on our roof and the age of the property) how would i even go about digging it out? Would it also run under the pavement? This seems unlikely in principle but im not sure how else it would be big enough to drain the water away.
Another idea id thought of (im sure id not be allowed) would be to divert the drainpipe into the road by removing a brick from the boundary wall and connecting a short section of plastic pipe between the existing downpipe and the brick wall. This would lead to the water flowing over the pavement into the road!
A friend has suggested breaking up the concrete at the front of the house and replacing it with some decorative shingle. This would allow the water to soak in over the area but im concerned it would just increase the problem.
Whats the best way to solve this in a property of this age?