taking up concrete floor

[Fizzer]

We are in the midst of purchasing an old house which has damp on pretty much every wall downstairs. We've had the usual suspects in to quote to remedy the problem. Two seperate damp experts have recommended chemical DPC and tanking on one wall where the ground levels are high.

Total cost for this is about 4K according to the quotes

Having done a bit of research into older houses (and on the advice of our surveyor), it seems that the favoured approach to treating damp is to let it breath.

So now we're looking at taking up the 1960's concrete floor and replacing it with a breathable alternative. We have no idea how big this job is, i.e. how long it would take, how much waste it would create and any complications we may face.

The total floor area is approx 35 sq.M any advice would be appreciated!

 

[noseall]

solid concrete floors don't need to 'breathe'. they can be surrounded by impervious membranes and still fulfill their function. exterior walls that are subject to frequent rain soakings however are best left to breathe.

preventing cold spots though, is very important. be sure to include some insulation below the floor slab. it is the warm interior meeting the cold exterior that plagues most buildings with moisture or damp problems.

condensation can occur even during seemingly dry conditions. all it needs to thrive is a large difference in temperature between the warm moist indoors and the cool outdoors.