Concrete plinth (damp) Edwardian semi (Ed.)

[Sdon]

Hi we are at the beginning of removing the concrete render from the bottom of the wall and the concrete from the floor as we believe this is contributing to damp.

We've removed a bit and the bricks are very spawled, also concerned about what looks like a concrete plinth but not sure if it actually is.. Any ideas?

 

[JohnD]

Your "damp" photos happen to show old drains going into the concrete paving.

It is quite usual for old drains to leak.

As well as the damp, signs include cracked, sunken and repaired paving around the drains. Please show us more photos of them.

Look for the original dpc. It has probably been bridged by the render and/or paving

It may be visible under or beside a doorstep or airbrick. It will be two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built.

 

[Sdon]

We have had the drain checked and they are ok, although part has historically been changed to plastic. This is also south facing on clay soil so there's lots of thermal movement. The gutters have been replaced and we are getting the house re roofed.. and the I'm sure the windows are contributing.. tbh we are very cross about this as the survey didn't pour out half of these issues!

 

[ree]

Sdon,
The concrete surround has raised the original ground level by roughly the amount you can see in the "sunken" gulley sides. The top of the gully was the original ground level.
The option of removing & lowering the whole concrete surround would be a bit too much but you could cut channels abutting the house and fix linear (Aco) drains discharging into a soakaway?

The wall cracks might simply be in the Ashlar render not the masonry background behind the render.
Any wall cracking inside the house?
Ashlar is a method of shaping render to seem like masonry. V. popular & posh in the 18thC how old is your terrific house?

The sand & cement plinth needs removing and the render hacking off to a level line just above any DPC - thats if you have one - say about 150mm above the gully.
Your interior FFL is high above ground level - thats good.
Are your floors suspended?
Are the walls sold?
Posted Pics showing any low level interior damp might help?