Is this old guttering likely to be causing penetrating damp?

[pumaowner]

I had some brilliant help a few years ago on the plumbing forum and I hope you guys might be able to help again regarding a house I am trying to buy.

The house is 180 years old, and so I had a full structural survey. The surveyor noted damp issues, especially to the upper floors. I had two quotes done, including one I paid for, and they quoted shedloads of money for tanking. One wanted to do pretty much the entire house, with membrane systems, yet gave no information about what might be causing it. The other quoted 'rising damp' - hmmm, to upper floors?

After the house was built originally, others were built parallel to the rear wall which means the building surveyor didn't look at the entire rear wall (it's a long thin house). Anyway, we have knocked on doors and asked to look and took the photos attached showing that the guttering is full of debris, and that damp appears to have penetrated the wall about half way along - this tallies with some, but not all, the damp detected upstairs inside.

There was no downpipe we could see though it may run to the gable end of the house, which is an end terrace (in the pictures, it's the furthest away, where the greenery is).

In your experiences, is the guttering likely to be the main cause here? If so - and presuming I can get access to do the work from the gardens shown - is it possible to renew these using ladders and without a downpipe running into these neighbouring gardens - perhaps sending the rainwater to a downpile at the gable end? I don't mind getting work done but if it's impossible then I will have to pull out of the purchase, losing the money I've spent but also a house I really like (after a year of searching).

Would this be a lengthy job? And cost-wise is there any idea how much I should allow to ask the vendors if they will meet some of the cost? The house is approximately 8-9m long along that wall.

Obviously it may not be the only issue -there are also garden dividing walls running at right angles to the rear wall, and the gardens to the newer houses are at a lower level than the house I want to buy, so it's not clear where the surface water runs off to when it rains. If anyone has ideas, I'd be very grateful.

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[joe-90]

looks to me like the guttering has had it. I'd take off the first three rows of tiles and fit new guttering. Then check that the roof actually discharged into the guttering (which at present I think spills out the back).

Get a couple of grand knocked off and you'll sort it no problems,

If it's 180 years old it is a good solid house and these problems are just bad maintenance.

Does the roof have a membrane?

 

[^woody^]

It may nor be the gutter, but rotten felt at the eaves - which caused water not to go into the gutter but runs back and down the wall instead

 

[joe-90]

That's why I suggested taking the tiles off.

 

[^woody^]

Be grateful, it's not often someone agrees with you Joe.

 

[pumaowner]

Thanks Joe90 and Woody - would taking the tiles off and renewing the guttering need scaffolding, which would be very difficult to arrange, or can it be done with ladders? And is it a fairly short amount of disruption for the neighbours at the back?

 

[joe-90]

You can't really see but I'd have thought an access platform at least.

 

[tim00]

1.It would help if more pics of full elevations were posted.
2. the gutter seems to be discharging onto the lower roof
3. It's been re-roofed in the last 35 yrs, presumably felt was installed.
4. plastic guttering might req more fixings/clip brackets.
5. Whats the story on the weird coverings at the ridge?
6. The most cost would probably be in gaining work height access.

 

[tim00]

Just noticed the chimney base aka weird coverings.
Who owns what property and why no openings in the elevation would be other issues.