Damp

[ukheather]

I think I probably have damp in my walls due to reason to do with lots of water that has been next to the walls.

Will a damp proof course stop the damp or will I need plastering doing as well? If so, what wouls they have to do?

Also, where the outside walls touch the floor there are a few holes.. can I just fill these in? If so, with what?

thanks

 

[masona]

I think I probably have damp in my walls due to reason to do with lots of water that has been next to the walls.

Is this rainwater ? If so check outside dpc which should be 150mm above soil level.

 

[ukheather]

yep rain.

The current DPC needs replacing.

 

[masona]

The current DPC needs replacing.

Any idea why ?

How old is the property ?

 

[ukheather]

it was a dodgy job and the people who did it went bust.

it is a very old property... built about 1890, made of stone.

 

[Thermo]

Why do you think you have damp walls?
What do the holes you talk about look like?
Are your walls brickwork or are they covered with render so you cant see them?
If you can see them you should be able to see a black line about 6 inches from the floor. measure the exact distance from the floor to this (the dpc). What is it?
How old is the house roughly?
Do you know what the walls are made of on the inside (have you ever drilled them yop put up shelves, if so was there grey dust or red etc?)
But most importantly why do you think you have a damp problem?

Give us some more info and we should be able to narrow it down. It is surprising how many damp problems are exactly not that, or are easily cureable as dpcs rarely fail.

Thermo

 

[ukheather]

I have damp walls because the wallpaper is falling off at the bottom adn we have had floods many times.
The holes have a redish coloured plug, they are about 14cm from the ground.
The house was built 1890.
The walls are all stone.
As we have had many floods, yep I think there is damp.

 

[masona]

As we have had many floods, yep I think there is damp.

When you say flood, does the water rise above the dpc ?

 

[oilman]

I have damp walls because the wallpaper is falling off at the bottom adn we have had floods many times.

The wallpaper is falling off because you have damp in the walls. The walls don't have damp bcause the paper is falling off.

The holes have a redish coloured plug, they are about 14cm from the ground.

This might be an injected damp course, generally a waste of money, totally unnecessary, but a good way of extracting money from people.

The house was built 1890.

The walls are all stone.

As we have had many floods, yep I think there is damp.

Has someone repointed between the stones with cement? They shouldn't have. If they have, water can't get out of the walls.

If you have floods, either move the house to higher ground, or move house.

Has someone draught-proofed the place? Old houses would be dry because they had open fires and plenty of draughts (ventilation). Wallpaper didn't fall off because they used limewash (if they used anything at all). Today's idiots block up the ventilation and fit central heating so the houses don't work any more.