Extensive damp and mould on exterior wall

[mysilentundoing]

I was wondering if anyone could offer their advice for our situation. We moved into a flat 6 months ago. About 3 weeks after we moved in, the walls started to show mould, starting towards the floor. This was on an external wall, to which there was a raised floor/garden of another house on the other side. The property was built approx 1920 as far as we can establish and appears to be a converted outbuilding. There doesn't appear to be cavity wall insulation, and it has brick walls.

We contacted the landlord about this, and tried to use a dehumidifier in the worst affected parts - which made no difference. The mould continued to spread up the wall even in the good weather.

The mould now extends all the way up one wall. The mould runs the entire length of the affected wall, in some places is higher than others but always extends at least 1 metre up the wall. Anything we put against the walls - pictures, book cases, etc. will have a growth of green/black mould on the back. This is getting annoying, aside all the obvious health hazards. In the wetter weather we've had recently, the wall has been wet to touch.

The landlord got back in touch, and we've had two damp specialist companies coming round and have given a quote. Both recommended that the plaster be chipped off, a membrane put in, and several extractor fans installed in the bathroom and kitchen (where they say the source of condensation is and that's not helping with the situation) and walls re-plastered. A builder has now started work, and they are injecting Soverieign Low Odour injection fluid to about 3/4 a metre up the wall. They have sprayed something else on the entire wall (which smells like polish) and are coming back tomorrow and Friday to complete whatever work they have left to do. They aren't installing any extractor fans (we have none in the bathroom and no window, and only a window in the kitchen. No cooker hood/hob extractor fan either. They aren't planning on re-plastering higher than about a metre - meaning that there will be a large amount of plaster which already has mould on it that they won't be getting rid of.

I understand that without seeing it, it's difficult to give an opinion on the situation, but can anybody shed some light as to whether this approach is likely to stop the damp? The previous two companies were shocked at the extent of the mould, and recommended their course of action as they felt that more basic methods would not have helped. I am getting fed up with living in a mouldy flat! I am concerned that given that the first two quotes were likely to be quite pricey, the landlord has decided to go for a far cheaper and much less effective route.

Thanks! Any input would be appreciated.

 

[kbdiy]

If this wall was originally some form of outbuilding (possibly an outside toilet and/or coal store/shed) then in its original form it won't have had any damp protection and may just be single skin brick (ie 4" thick). Much will depend on how and when the conversion was carried out as to what, if any, consideration was given to damp ingress. Given that the adjacent land is higher than your's then there is the recipe for the problems you are experiencing now. Added to that, as you heat your side of the wall there will be a tendency to draw the dampness out of the wall on your side, leading to the conditions that you have.

The best cure would have been to protect the wall from the outside to minimise the risk of damp penetration but that is probably outside your control, and maybe that of your landlord too. Unfortunately you are in the hands of your landlord and you may have to wait and see if the current treatment does anything to alleviate the problem

 

[Burnerman]

As above - make sure the ground on the other side of that wall is as low as possible.
An injected damp course will do what it can, and the polish smell is a sprayed on solution such as Water Seal which prevents rain soaking into the brickwork.....that works well but can't stop rising damp.
I suspect the floors in that area aren't to clever too.....
John

 

[mysilentundoing]

The flat was converted in 2010/11 from what I can find online via the council's website with planning permission information. It was our current landlord who converted the flat at this time. The walls do appear to be quite thick, but the builders have chipped away some plaster and exposed bricks and there doesn't appear to be any damp protection from what I can see there.

This may be a stupid question, but does the water seal have to be sprayed onto the brick for it to work? It's been sprayed onto the painted wall above the injections. Would it also be useful to spray the outside walls with this or does it not work that way?

Thank you for your input, look like I'll just have to wait and see if this helps.. Fingers crossed!

 

[Burnerman]

The water seal solution needs to soak into the brickwork for it to work.....basically it just sits there and repels any rain water from entering the brick like blotting paper. If the wall is painted, the solution may just run off.
Anyway, your problems are greater than that, unfortunately....the injected damp course should work in the walls (as well as it can, anyway) and it sounds like the wall is single skin brick.
The damp proofing wont help the floor at all, but maybe the original floor has been lifted and a polythene barrier laid before concrete....we hope so!
Keep the dehumidifier going if you have one - although it won't work too well if the room is very cold.
Further action could involve a membrane against the existing wall, followed by studs and plasterboard, to give you some insulation.
John

 

[foxhole]

Sound like you have a bodged conversion and sending in damp-proof company [they will always recommend lots of needless /ineffective work] to bodge it again will leave you with the same situation throughout the winter.Hope I'm wrong.Keep us informed.

 

[Burnerman]

I think I'd want to do a runner from this one, if possible....mould a metre up the wall is seriously bad crack - and it isn't even winter yet.
John

 

[mysilentundoing]

Thanks for the replies. The builders have since painted a tar like coating over the injected parts of the wall. They've given this some time for it to dry and now appear to be plastering over the wall, no plaster board or membrane or anything else for that matter. We are told that "this new stuff is waterproof". No new insulation layer, no chipping off of old, mouldy plaster. I think it might be time to look for a new flat

 

[Burnerman]

Hmmm not the best outcome is it......quite a difficult if not impossible job to get entire success.
I would have expected all of the wet plaster to be removed though, back to the original brick / stone, before the application of the rubber treatment!
John

 

[mysilentundoing]

Not really ideal, no. On a side topic, we have had to convince the landlord (show him the gas safety website stating it's a legal requirement when letting a property) to get a gas safety engineer to come round and fit a new oven after the previous one suddenly gave off a strong smell of gas. Initially, he insisted it would be okay if he were to just do it and that an engineer wasn't required. In the process of running a mile from this place right now!

 

[Burnerman]

Seriously, my immediate concern would be your health if that mould cant be reduced. The spores will become airborne to some extent, and if you have any complaint such as asthma its going to be pretty miserable living in that house.
John

 

[mysilentundoing]

I agree. My boyfriend has asthma, and I had an inexplicable chest infection a few months ago (it was summer at the time). The builders have plastered around the light switches and over cables. The landlord came to have a look and was pleased with their work. I feel he is cutting corners, and it's totally unacceptable - we are looking elsewhere as we speak.