I think I've got rising damp along the exterior wall of my Victoria end terrace house but wanted confirmation before spending a load of money getting it remedied.
The house was build in 1895 and, as far as I can see, had a tar/bitumen damp proof course - there are a few places on the outside (away from chimneys) where I can see tar that appears to have oozed out at the right sort of level. Does that sound likely? There is no evidence of a slate course or similar.
When we bought the house 6 years ago it wasn't centrally heated and had the original sash windows which were in a terrible state. We now have heating and have double glazing everywhere apart from the dining room which has a bay and is the worst effected with damp. I don't think we have a condensation problem though, we get a little on the panes but nothing much, it's certainly not running down the walls. New windows went in as and when we could afford it, I am thinking it would be a good idea to get the last ones done at the same time as any damp work we might need.
Inside the symptoms are visible damp patches on painted walls and damp patches along with bubbling/lifting where there is lining paper, it's up to about 2-3 foot off the ground. The only parts of the long exterior wall where we don't see this are the face of the chimney breast in the front room, which isn't the exterior wall of course, and in the kitchen where the wall is entirely hidden with units. No idea what's going on behind there! The effected walls are noticeably cold to the touch.
Apologies for the long post. Does this sound like rising damp?
The house was build in 1895 and, as far as I can see, had a tar/bitumen damp proof course - there are a few places on the outside (away from chimneys) where I can see tar that appears to have oozed out at the right sort of level. Does that sound likely? There is no evidence of a slate course or similar.
When we bought the house 6 years ago it wasn't centrally heated and had the original sash windows which were in a terrible state. We now have heating and have double glazing everywhere apart from the dining room which has a bay and is the worst effected with damp. I don't think we have a condensation problem though, we get a little on the panes but nothing much, it's certainly not running down the walls. New windows went in as and when we could afford it, I am thinking it would be a good idea to get the last ones done at the same time as any damp work we might need.
Inside the symptoms are visible damp patches on painted walls and damp patches along with bubbling/lifting where there is lining paper, it's up to about 2-3 foot off the ground. The only parts of the long exterior wall where we don't see this are the face of the chimney breast in the front room, which isn't the exterior wall of course, and in the kitchen where the wall is entirely hidden with units. No idea what's going on behind there! The effected walls are noticeably cold to the touch.
Apologies for the long post. Does this sound like rising damp?