Damp Issue - Advice Needed!

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Hi all,

We have a patch of damp in our downstairs bathroom. It's an extension on a victorian terrace. Had some damp proofing specialists around who quoted us SEVEN THOUSAND POUNDS to take the whole thing back to brick, 'damp proof' and then board and plaster. it's about 15sqm total area that they said needs treating, but we are not convinced that the whole extension needs treating because it's just the area in the photo next to the washing machine which shows any visible signs of damp.

The 'expert' wasn't sure where the water was coming from, but I've always thought it likely to be either from the pipe next to the washing machine, or from the old outside toilet which connects next door (see second pic). Roof on the extension has been recently replaced, so shouldn't be any issue there (previous roof did leak, hence why it was replaced). They seemed less worried about the source, and more with sealing the inside.

I'm a 'damp proofing' sceptic (particularly with that quote!) - any idea what we should do?!
 

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I'm a 'damp proofing' sceptic (particularly with that quote!) - any idea what we should do?!
get some more quotes;) @ that price we could come up from Sussex and stay over :ROFLMAO: Assuming you're not in SE. most people seem to live oop North;)
 
You need to find the source and deal with it before any damp treatment else if it is a leak then the damp will still rise after any treatment. Do not trust any firm that offers a solution without first identifying the actual cause.

Close pipework - supply or drainage is always the first suspect in any localised dampness. That wall should not be persistently damp in summer unless its a leak problem - although those salts will make it difficult to determine.

Either way that plaster needs to com off, so hack it off to 1m, clean the bricks off so you can see the wall, check the pipes and then monitor the wall for a few weeks to see what damp pattern emerges.

You may need to lift that floor covering too to check around that pipe.
 
First, read everything on https://www.heritage-house.org/ particularly about damp-proofing. IMHO 99% of "treatments" are a rip-off.

Second, I am 80% certain the "damp" is actually coming from your washing machine. The drum is vented to external so when it is running the area around the machine has a high humidity. If the wall is cold, you get condensation. I had a similar issue around the base of a fridge in the last house - the fan in the base drew room air continually across a cold surface creating continuous condensation in a very local area on a nib of what had been an external wall adjacent to the fridge.

As woody says, strip it back and see what you have got.
 
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What is the floor made of? Concrete and copper dont mix, if that pipe is buried in the concrete and wasn't suitably protected, then there's a fair chance it's corroded and leaking....
 
You have rising damp, & maybe some historic penetrating damp but, as above, the thing is to find the cause.

Can you stand back & post a pic of both the new roof and the old roof together?
Can you pull out any appliances and photo the wall behind the w/m?
Can you pic the other side of the badly damp wall - beyond the door?
Could you stand back and photo the ground level outside the extension?
And, finally, could you also post pics of inside the old toilet compartment? Where is the old wc compartment located in terms of your first pic?

The floor to the right is slightly higher than the left hand room floor - why? Is the dividing wall the original rear elevation wall?
Lots of Q's but they are all free.
 

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