Hello, I'm new so hope this is in the right area.
I have just taken possession of a rather tired 1930s end terrace that has a damp problem, apparently worse than picked up by the survey.
A little background: The house has a cavity wall with engineering brick DPC and a good roof. Downstairs is mostly a suspended floor above a 3ft void, there's standing water beneath this but only a couple of inches, nowhere near to the DPC.
I'm pumping that out and aim to get it dry of liquid water at least by lowering the pump into a sump and chasing drainage channels to clear puddles. There's reasonable ventilation, 2 double height and at least one one single height air-brick in each of the front and rear walls. It will have been wet for decades and the damp has risen to the DPC. The lack of rot in the floor suggests it's not saturated and condensing normally at floor level above the DPC. I have access to this space at present.
The worst of the damp is in an interior wall between the lounge and the hall. This is wet through on the lounge side, dry to the touch on the hall side thought the lower section is still hidden under T&G wood. The lounge has a gas heater (and no obvious ventilation besides drafts) I'm told the previous occupants used this room as their living space so this could just be long term condensation. The heater is getting scrapped.
This wall has itself (presumably by being cold due to evaporation - open to other ideas) caused damp in the upstairs floor. Mostly this is in the boards parallel to and in the region of the wall but a couple of joists seem to be wicking water too. Obviously I'll have to check the timber carefully for rot where it's got wet in both floors. Upstairs ventilation is not what it once was but the room with the damp floor does have a grate into the old chimney that wasn't entirely blocked.
<edit> I forgot to say the damp wall is single thickness brick, the plaster has been repaired (badly) on the damp side and the wall terminates at the ceiling, it does not continue into the room above. A heating pipe pair runs along above the wall (in joist top notches) but they appear to be sound.
There are lots of little bodge repairs dotted about so I'm guessing this will be similar. I suppose I'm after ideas as to what to look for besides the obvious, lack of DPC, bridging of it etc.
Sorry for the essay.
I have just taken possession of a rather tired 1930s end terrace that has a damp problem, apparently worse than picked up by the survey.
A little background: The house has a cavity wall with engineering brick DPC and a good roof. Downstairs is mostly a suspended floor above a 3ft void, there's standing water beneath this but only a couple of inches, nowhere near to the DPC.
I'm pumping that out and aim to get it dry of liquid water at least by lowering the pump into a sump and chasing drainage channels to clear puddles. There's reasonable ventilation, 2 double height and at least one one single height air-brick in each of the front and rear walls. It will have been wet for decades and the damp has risen to the DPC. The lack of rot in the floor suggests it's not saturated and condensing normally at floor level above the DPC. I have access to this space at present.
The worst of the damp is in an interior wall between the lounge and the hall. This is wet through on the lounge side, dry to the touch on the hall side thought the lower section is still hidden under T&G wood. The lounge has a gas heater (and no obvious ventilation besides drafts) I'm told the previous occupants used this room as their living space so this could just be long term condensation. The heater is getting scrapped.
This wall has itself (presumably by being cold due to evaporation - open to other ideas) caused damp in the upstairs floor. Mostly this is in the boards parallel to and in the region of the wall but a couple of joists seem to be wicking water too. Obviously I'll have to check the timber carefully for rot where it's got wet in both floors. Upstairs ventilation is not what it once was but the room with the damp floor does have a grate into the old chimney that wasn't entirely blocked.
<edit> I forgot to say the damp wall is single thickness brick, the plaster has been repaired (badly) on the damp side and the wall terminates at the ceiling, it does not continue into the room above. A heating pipe pair runs along above the wall (in joist top notches) but they appear to be sound.
There are lots of little bodge repairs dotted about so I'm guessing this will be similar. I suppose I'm after ideas as to what to look for besides the obvious, lack of DPC, bridging of it etc.
Sorry for the essay.
