Help with Leaking Garage wall

[GavinC]

I need help!!!!

The fool who previously owned my house decided to extend the length of the garage, which is great. Well size wise.. His Builder (or Con Man) has made the extension from a single layer breeze block. So as you can guess when it rains, the back of the garage fills up with water. This is making everything in there get very damp.

My question is, What can i do to stop this happening?

I have 3 thoughts.
1. Build another wall on the inside made from Brick ( no room to do this on the outside.
2. Render the back wall.
3. Knock the thing down and start again (abit drastic)

Any Ideas?

I will be sing the garage as storage as i renovate the house, however once complete i will be hopefully be converting the garage to an outhouse, so need to consider this in whatever fix i implement.

Thanks

Gavin

 

[lord nicon21]

i would just Render the out side of the wall
or maybe I'm missing something

 

[GavinC]

No not missed anything. Im dont know if that will make it totally water tight?

Rendering it would be the easiest and cheapest option, so providing it will have the desired result im quids in.

 

[l200]

was damp proof course fitted , if not rendoring is pointless.
imo i would take it down and replace with facing brick thus eliminating any future maintenance ie painting etc

 

[GavinC]

Thanks for the advice. From what i can tell there was no Damp Proof fitted either. Is there any way of retro fitting any? or as you say will it be easier to just knock the ugly thing down?

Only trouble with knocking it down is that it borders my strange guy next next door who wont be happy, and wont allow me on his land to rebuild, can a rebuild be done from my side, i.e from inside the garage?

 

[masona]

Only trouble with knocking it down is that it borders my strange guy next next door who wont be happy, and wont allow me on his land to rebuild, can a rebuild be done from my side, i.e from inside the garage?

Yes, can be a bit awkward but not impossible to do.

I'm thinking maybe use precast concrete slab nut/bolt type or timber studding with upvc cladding for maintenance free because of your neighbour

 

[JohnD]

It sounds as if the garage floor is no higher than the ground level outside, so water is running in. Is that right? If so, dig a slight drainage channel in the ground so that water can't run onto the slab unless it runs uphill You can fill the channel with large stones if you like, and lead the water away as if it were a ditch.

Otherwise you could increase the height of the concrete floor inside, even if only round the walls, but it will have to be well bonded to the existing floor or water will get through the crack.

 

[GavinC]

Thanks Guys.

The Ground level at the back of the garage is 30% up the back of the wall, so i will need to dig a fair bit out. but with that done, i could squeqe, and i mean squease another brick Later on the back making the wall 1 layer of brick and 1 layer of breeze block, and i can then put in a bamp proof course on the new layer. Then treat the floor and the inside wall with damp proof sealant stuff.

Failing that, do you know the cost of taking the whole lot down and buying new bricks and roof and rebuilding the garage. as the footings and base are allready inplace. So the effort is drastically reduces as not much todo.

 

[JohnD]

....The Ground level at the back of the garage is 30% up the back of the wall...

That's why the water's coming in then. You need to excavate that.

The excavation alone will stop the water coming in.

But if you want to back-fill, treat it to a DPM (one of the paint-on liquids) securely sealing the wall to the foundation.

You can put another leaf of bricks in if you feel like it. Or backfill with loose no-fines aggregate, which will allow water to drain; a path membrane (to prevent mud washing in and clogging the aggregate) and somewhere for the water running through the aggregate to drain to, that is lower than the garage floor.

You might also consider grooving the garage floor and making a hole in the side-wall for the water to run out.

 

[noseall]

if the walls of the garage were built on a cast slab as opposed to strip footings, then it is likely that, if the slab protrudes beyond the wall (externally) it will collect water and ultimately transfer it inside.

a common problem with poorly constructed 'raft' types.

if you have strip foundations then ignore the above.