How to DPC brick wall with crumbling mortar??

[a1993h]

Hey everyone,
We own a terraced house built in the 1930's which has some serious damp issues in the front room. Went about taking back the plaster and render to install a DPC. Started hacking away at the wall and reached the original red brick wall. The bricks were felt very damp and the mortar was crumbling and felt wet; almost pasty. Not sure where to go from here.. Was expecting to find a solid mortar course to drill into to inject the DPC but I can basically poke the bit straight through.. Any advice?

 

[ree]

OP,
Roll the matting out of the way, & remove all the affected plaster on the affected walls back to brickwork then grind or rake out the pointing to a min 25mm, & repoint with a 3:1 sand & cement mix.
Use the same mix as a render to make good to the walls.
Are the walls cavity?
Is the floor solid or suspended?
Can you post pics of the outside of the wall(s)?

 

[a1993h]

OP,
Roll the matting out of the way, & remove all the affected plaster on the affected walls back to brickwork then grind or rake out the pointing to a min 25mm, & repoint with a 3:1 sand & cement mix.
Use the same mix as a render to make good to the walls.
Are the walls cavity?
Is the floor solid or suspended?
Can you post pics of the outside of the wall(s)?

Thanks for the advice Ree.
They are solid masonry walls and the floor in the room in question is a suspended wooden floor. The front of the house has a concrete render but part of it is damaged leaving the original brick wall exposed. I'm wondering whether fixing the render on the outside might make a difference and just patch up the interior wall and hope for the best!


I have also noticed that the low wall extending from the front of the doesn't have coping stones. I wonder if installing these would prevent water building up. Any thoughts? Cheers!

here and help with the damp?

 

[ree]

OP,
Its your call - I only show you best practice.

If possible, why not first post pics of the interior exposed brickwork.
Then investigate the joists under the floor, joist tails might be rotten - any air bricks at the front?

The external sand & cement render is presumably failing, and allowing moisture penetration into the wall - the best solution would be to hack off back to brick & then re-render.
On the outside of the wall I would use a 3:1 mix of sand & NH lime render.
The interior cement render was for brickwork stability but lime render could be used given you will have to hack off inside and outside.
Maybe the outside brickwork will also need new pointing like the interior brickwork?
The garden walls butting up to the house should be separated from direct contact with the house.
The down pipe should have a gulley to discharge into - the gulley & its drain should be clear of blockages.