Rising damp or normal?

[robato]

During/after rain, the bottom 4 layers of bricks are always wet. I think the DPC is above the 2nd layer so not sure why there's wetness above it.
Clearly, the bricks higher up have dried quickly but the bottom 4 layers seems to be consistently wetter. Is this normal?

Note: The inside has no damp issues.

 

[JohnD]

It looks excessively wet. Is the gutter above spilling?

Is the paving holding a puddle against the wall?

Take a wider pic all the way up to the roof, and round the corners. Include all gutters, downpipes, drains, gullies and manholes.

Look at your wall and find where the DPC actually is. Mark it with chalk in your photo.

Why did somebody put a gravel trench against the wall?

 

[Ollyfp]

Does seem strange that the damp stops at a course that is above the dpc? Makes me think there might be an issue with a build up in the cavity that's enabling damp to bridge the skins? Oh, is it a cavity wall??
Let's sort this out!
Olly

 

[^woody^]

Your cavity is blocked

 

[Ollyfp]

You've got an outside tap there. Worth checking that it's not dripping inside the cavity. Is the tap isolated indoors?

 

[Ollyfp]

Your cavity is blocked

Yeah, looks that way!

 

[robato]

Have to wait until daylight to get a better shot but here's a wide angle photo of the wall in question (marked red arrow). There's also a bit of "high" damp on the front corner aswell (though not seen in this photo).

There's no gutter above that wall.
There aren't aren't any noticeable puddles on the paving during rainfall - it mostly runs off towards the garden.
Gravel trench courtesy of the housebuilder (new build).
I isolate the outside tap during winter, so don't think it's an internal leak.

If a blocked cavity, how to unblock it???

 

[Ollyfp]

Ah, I think rain water is running down that big red arrow!
Seriously though, the dpc will be level with your door threshold, so it's a bit odd that the bricks above are holding the damp. Maybe the damp proof course has failed, but maybe when they built the inner skin the brickies dropped too much mortar between the outer and inner skins? Just thinking out loud here... Anyone else on this thread?
Olly

 

[JohnD]

There's no gutter above that wall.

Yes there is. You need to look at the gutters during and immediately after rain.

And I can see the downpipe on the other side of the house is blocked and spilling. Lime bloom on the brickwork near the top.

 

[Koolpc]

Male squirrels are using that section of wall as a urinal?

 

[Ollyfp]

Male squirrels are using that section of wall as a urinal?

 

[Ollyfp]

Yes there is.

And I can see the downpipe on the other side of the house is blocked and spilling. Lime bloom on the brickwork near the top.

Ah, I thought it was the verge wall John?

 

[JohnD]

Yes, but I don't know how much projection there is.

If water was coming out of either of the higher gutters, at the end, I don't know where it would run or splash.

 

[Ollyfp]

Yes, but I don't know how much projection there is.

If water was coming out of either of the higher gutters, at the end, I don't know where it would run or splash.

Ah, I'm with you now. It's where the roofs intersect. Also, the landscaper has finished the paving level with the threshold. You'd normally have 100-150mm step down to avoid breaching the dpc.