Mould / damp advice

[toosb]

I renovated a house earlier this year. It had severe dampness problems due to holes in the roof and little or no guttering.

Ripped up the wooden floor and replaced with a new concrete one with suitable damp proofing.

Also damp coursed right round all walls.

Replastered and tanked all walls.

Much of the visible dampness has now gone but the walls are still showing high levels of dampness when checked with a meter.
Also, low temperatures in the lower reaches of the walls, caused no doubt by dampness.

Mould is forming as a result of this. Not a massive amount but enough to be an issue.

What I do know is that there is old fashioned(1950s??) insulation between the cavity walls which I'm sure is damp.

Is this likely to be the main cause of the dampness?

Is it realistic to pull it out through the outside wall?

Also, is it an idea to remove the rendering around the lower reaches of the outside walls to allow it to breath? I'd have to do that if I was removing the insulation anyway.

 

[KenGMac]

Toosb, Hi.

I for one am deeply suspicious of the "Old Cavity Fill" this stuff, the formulation of which is probably lost in time?

In my day time job I have seen several cases of either patches or entire [generally] Gable walls that have failed, in that on two floors of an Ex-Local Authority type Semi all walls on the gable internally have been what is best described as being devastated. Paper peeling off plaster in all four rooms. Plaster deteriorating falling off the internal brick. when tested with a Protometer anywhere internally on the walls readings completely off the scale.

The fill could be a blown fibre? ? ? but who knows what is in there?

If possible? how about a little "local knowledge" if you know any of your neighbours start a conversation and it may turn out that someone has had a similar problem. big benefit is how was it remedied?

Do some research? why because if the Property was an Ex-Local Authority then there might be the vague possibility of a claim against them because of defective design and defective installation.

The reason for the last is that I was told that the Owner had made a claim and it was being "considered" by this local [Scottish] council.

If the Insulant was "Blown Fibre" then over time and the associated dampness may have caused the fill to drop down within the cavity, if so then when you come to remove the offending material cutting into the brick to "get at" the cavity can be done from the base of the walls, at the corners.

Hope the above is of at least some assist?

Would like to know how things progress?

good luck.

Ken.