Damp through roof and walls - strip paint and apply cream?

[JuddR]

Hi
My house didn't cope well with the rain this winter. There is penetrating damp coming in through the wall and stains around the chimneys, presumably because of the flashing.

In order to fix this I want to apply rain-resistant cream but need to remove paint on the outside walls first. Problem is my house is directly on the street Coronation Street-Style. Is there a safe way to remove paint from them?

Full plan is to:
rent scaffolding
remove the paint
re-point the walls
apply the cream
maybe re-paint over that
put some cowls on the chimneys and fixing the flashing.

If I can't remove the paint and so can't apply the cream, is a good outdoors paint over the current paint an option? Would that protect my walls?

 

[blup]

Identify the source of damp and cause of its its retention, and remedy that before removing and reapplying paint and pointing. Can you post pics of the outside wall generally, and any specific areas of damp outside and in.

 

[slipery]

It's pity anyway. I have the same situation. When it rains hard and the wind is east, it drips from the top of the window. I checked, the windows are installed correctly, no holes. I assume that the water flows behind the gable of the roof and then down the wall.

 

[JuddR]

Thanks for the responses. The problem in the walls is probably related to the faded brick in the picture, the insides don't show up so well in pictures. The other two pictures are the ceiling around the flashing, it's yellowing but not that visible.

It sounds like neither of you think stripping the pain will be an issue. Wouldn't chemicals used to strip the paint be an issue for passers-by?