Flower bed against garage wall

[TEL86]

Hi all,

We've recently moved into a property with a garage that is separate from the house. One length of wall has a large flower bed against it. Unsurprisingly these bricks and therefore the inside of the garage get very damp during the winter. I've added some guttering and slurried the inside of the garage which has helped a lot.

I'm currently digging up the bed as it became overgrown with weeds and thought it would be a good opportunity to address the issue of the damp soil against the brick. I'm digging a trench (hopefully down to the damp proof course ) so I can let the bricks dry for a while. I'd appreciate some advice on what to do after that.

I was thinking about attaching a damp proof membrane to the brick in a 'C' shape so the soil sits against the DPM and not the bricks. My concern is this won't allow the bricks to breathe as they are slurried on the other side. Another possibility is to construct a new edge to the border which the soil can sit against. Behind this will be a thin open channel so the garage bricks can breathe. Thanks in advance.

 

[conny]

I think if you put some DPM against the wall so it projects above the damp course and prevents any bridging by the flowerbed soil then it should be ok.
If the damp course has failed though then this will not stop damp rising into the upper bricks. I suppose the best thing you can do at the moment is to clear away to a point below the damp course and let the brickwork dry out for a few weeks. If they don't dry out after removing the soil then it may be the course has failed or it may be bridged inside the garage.

 

[TEL86]

Thanks @conny