The lady has damp problems

[MissMair]

Evening all.

A few years ago bought my first house (built around 1837, standard brick and lime of that era) It was remodelled by the previous owners in 2008. I have had a few issues that I have had to rectify due to poor workmanship of which is still ongoing.

Last year I painted the living room which has the original door frame with a later addition of a porch. However within a year the paint has bubbled coupled with blown plaster on the original door frame.

I have gone through a lengthy process of elimination to find the cause of water ingress. Most evidently was the leaking porch roof which has now been repaired.

However still have damp problems at the base of one of the door frame pillars. Having hacked away at the base, it appears that some form of fine filler (up to 2cm thick in places) has been used on the brick prior to cement and finally plaster. The cement is dry but the filler is like half dried cottage cheese!

I am not a builder at all but this seems an odd thing to do and I do wonder if this stuff is prohibiting the water ingress from the previously leaky roof to dry out properly???

Any thoughts before I completely rip it all off?

 

[vinn]

You have the original doorway opening but I dont see any door frame? In any future photos please remove all debris and household items.
The composition in photo 3 seems to be layers of white lime putty plaster, sand & cement & a heavy gypsum skim.
From what I can see it appears that the original plaster never bonded to the brickwork.
The brickwork is decayed & soaking, and the pointing seems to be sandy & sodden.
The metal angle bead is rusting.

The porch side and the house side - are the floors solid or suspended?
Is the interior floor (FFL) higher than the outside ground level?
Is the exterior rendered?
Are there damp signs anywhere else in the porch or the house?
Have you probed the skirting in the porch or in the proximity in the house?

Could you post photos showing the outside at ground level and showing the porch roof repaired area?

 

[MissMair]

Many thanks for your reply Vinn.

Door opening, yes no door frame, bad choice of word on my side, sorry.

With regards to your questions;

1) the floor is solid and not suspended on the ground floor, suspended on first floor.

2) The internal floor is not higher than the outside ground level. The concrete slab in the porch area, although it's a step down into the main living area I assume was laid to make a flat base prior to installation of the porch when ever that occurred. I know this for sure as I dug up the outside of sett stones, put down hardcore, concrete slab and then the Victorian tiles.

3) No further damp anywhere in the house. I am in a terraced house, my neighbour has no damp their side in that area.

4) yea done some probing around and can't see anything untoward.

The roof area that was repaired was originally lead roofing and flashing. This was not removed and instead fibreglass paint was put on top to provide a watertight seal and water proof paint around the flashing as well as new more functional guttering (previous guttering was very shallow half moon, poor drainage and ineffective). The roofing after repair was tested for water tightness and since then no visible water ingress like before. I can only assume that it is water tight at this point.

The outside is rendered and at some point a few patches of filler was used to repair which was cottage cheese consistency again. (Checked the whole of the front to ensure no other areas affected) This was removed and refilled appropriately. The outside has also been repainted with a paint suitable for render.

I am wondering if during the time of water ingress that the water having nowhere to properly escape, has by the effects of gravity pooled in that area (possibly impermeable due to cement slab but only an assumption). The additional issue of lime plaster being covered with cement been unable to properly breathe possibly contributing to water being unable to evaporate?

I live next to a pub and a few folk have suggested chemical injection but for me that doesn't solve the root cause of the problem.

 

[vinn]

So you step down about 100mm from the porch into the house.
What height is the d/room ceiling from the floor?
The porch floor appears level with the external ground/path which means water could penetrate down into the obviously wet damaged doorway, and I imagine it would penetrate the bay area at wall/floor level - and what about along the party wall?
Carefully examine the photo 2 area (near the angle bead) for strands of what looks like dead vegetation.

The roof leaks might be the damage higher up the doorway but the remedy you describe seems like a temporary business on a lead flat roof (does water pond on the roof) - could you photo the porch roof from above from a bed room window?
Could you also do a photo showing the whole front elevation?

The garden, party wall is doing you no favours in that tight space between porches(?).
There has been an attempt at flashing with some lead(?) draped over the wall.
How can any serious remedial work take place there with the wall in-situ? The situation is similar on the RH side due to the bay.
The door surround appears to be wood with the plinths falling away (rotting?).

A chemical injection will do nothing for you.
I cant see enough render to comment on it.