DRY LINED WALL WITH AIR VENTS

[jenhen2752]

I've just been to view a house which is stone built. The exterior side wall has a garage attached on the ground floor. In the bedrooms, on the first floor, the walls on the end exterior wall have been dry lined and have air vents placed right in the middle of the walls.

I've never seen this before. Can anyone shed any light on why this might have been done? It would appear the work has been done probably about 20 years ago. We can't ask the existing owners as it's a probate sale! Does this definitely mean there is a damp issue?

Any advice greatly received! Thanks

 

[trowelmonkey1]

stone walled houses need to be able to breathe, they are unlike cavity walls or even 9 inch solid walls, moisture needs to be able to get in and out through the stonework, so reason for your vents is to allow this to happen still despite the dry lined walls, if there were no vents then you would get a damp problem on the back of the plasterboard wall.

 

[jenhen2752]

Does this mean that there may have been a damp problem on the stone wall or could it have been done for some other reason - to block up a fireplace, or instead of replastering?

 

[trowelmonkey1]

hard to say but if there was a damp problem and this plasterboard was stuck in front of it 20 years ago i would expect the damp to have had some effect on the plasterboard by now maybe.

in all probability it's been erected instead of lime plastering the stonewalls, could also have been done to enable the fitting of some insulation, impossible to say without looking behind, there could also be a fireplace behind it which could be a reason for the vent.

the fact that its still standing and in good condition after 20 years of service is a good sign and the vent in the wall is also a good thing.

unlikely to be a damp problem though as it's on the first floor, rising damp wouldn't have made it up that far, could have been from a water ingress if even there was a damp problem but i'd have thought this would have been fixed before the stud was erected.