Damp Chimney Foundation

[Mshepp]

Hi All,

We have had a damp issue in our 1895 built house which resulted in a new injected chemical damp course being applied. Today I noticed that under the carpet is a concrete chimney foundation for a chimney that was removed before I purchased the house. The rest of the subfloor is wooden floor boards and the concrete is very damp to the touch and mold was growing on the carpet gripper that was on top of it.

My question is can this concrete be removed and replaced with floorboards to match the rest of the subfloor or should it be left and treated, if possible, to prevent any further damp issues later down the line. We do have a builder coming to address other issues in February but I just wanted to put my mind at rest that this can be easily addressed and get an idea of possible solutions to expect.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any pictures of underneath the floorboard for this particular area.

Thanks in advance

 

[Burnerman]

It was very common in properties of this age to have the concrete hearth poured directly onto the ground......damp rising through it wasn't a problem because the fires were lit!
The hearth can be removed - you'll find that the joists will have been trimmed to fit round it though, and these will need to be extended to support the new floor.
Do look for the original damp course, and duplicate it under any new construction, of course.
John