We've lived in our house since 1990 and I’ve had the floor up in places quite a few times over the years and it’s always been the same - as dusty and dry as hell. Having the floor up in places during my kitchen refit I’ve noticed damp dirt and dust along the flank wall as well as a smell of damp. It extends approximately 9” from the wall. I’ve brushed the dirt/dust away and came to what looks like the top of the footings that the flank wall is built on. I’ve never noticed this before, ever. Also, if you look on the underside of one piece of floorboard, you can see traces of slug slime so it’s damp enough for slugs! I’m just wondering if Thames water didn’t make a water tight connection between my cast iron soil stack and the new clay drains they replaced last year - you can see the location of the pipe in the diagram. Any suggestions - get on to Thames Water or my insurance company?
Snail traces
Damp
Diagram showing location of damp and soil stack
Snail traces
Damp
Diagram showing location of damp and soil stack