House has patches of damp...help!!

first78

We moved into our new house in Feb this year. It's a 100 year old end of terrace, and the survey did turn up some issues with damp but we didn't think it would be too much of a problem.

Since we moved in we have noticed a small damp patch on the bathroom wall just above the skirting board (not an outside wall), it's a bit moldy and the paint has all peeled off. There is also a fairly sizeable patch of damp in the kitchen and in the living room....both of these patches are on outside walls but are not moldy, it's just a wet looking patch.

We had a builder round a while ago to rebuild a chimney and he looked at the damp patches but wasn't sure of the cause.

What I would like to ask, is what is the best option to take now? This is the first time we've had any damp issues in a property and we have no idea what to do. I would like to try and avoid paying for unnecessary treatments that won't fix the problem...can anyone offer any advice please.

tony6403

There are many things which can produce dampness.
Check :
- for leaking gutters
- cracked or broken downpipes
- cracks in bricks
- pointing ( missing mortar between bricks)
- bricks with damaged and therefore possibly porous faces
- bad seals around window frames
- bridged wall cavities ( stuff inside the cavity which allows moisture to pass from the outside) Unfortunately this can only be established by removal of bricks or the use of a specialist camera.
- no damp proof course (dpc)
- earth or other material up against the outside wall which allows damp to penetrate above the dpc
Also , if your house is rendered this needs to be examined for any defects.

greyteam1959

If its an inside wall it could be a leaky pipe.

first78

tony6403 wrote: »

There are many things which can produce dampness.
Check :
- for leaking gutters
- cracked or broken downpipes
- cracks in bricks
- pointing ( missing mortar between bricks)
- bricks with damaged and therefore possibly porous faces
- bad seals around window frames
- bridged wall cavities ( stuff inside the cavity which allows moisture to pass from the outside) Unfortunately this can only be established by removal of bricks or the use of a specialist camera.
- no damp proof course (dpc)
- earth or other material up against the outside wall which allows damp to penetrate above the dpc
Also , if your house is rendered this needs to be examined for any defects.

Looking at the outside of the house the most likely cause in my view is damaged bricks and/or pointing. Is this just a case of getting a view quotes from builders?

spannerzone

Also condensation, poorly ventilated rooms (kitchens and bathrooms need extraction fans), blocked outside airbricks, ground level outside is above damp proof course, poor drainage, leaking pipes, leaking gutters, solid floors with damp proof membrane issues, to name but a few.

My 100 year old end of terrace also has damp and I've experimented with fitting some new airbricks (there was only 1 for the entire house!) I also found some previous owner had replastered a wall and line with metal foil (sticky foil) then papered over that and painted over that... I'm pretty sure the foil was an attempt to keep the moisture hidden but walls need to breathe!

Don't call out the first damp proof company you find, they'll sell you a solution based on injecting a new damp proof course and replastering.... while it might be required there's lots of people that doubt this is the real cure, only a temp fix for other damp issues.

I recently bought the book 'The Damp House: A Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Dampness' which while being rather dry read (excuse the pun!) it was a useful source of potential damp problems so I can check out things before getting a tradesman in to resolve the issues (and know if they're talking a load of c*rap)

tony6403

first78 wrote: »

Looking at the outside of the house the most likely cause in my view is damaged bricks and/or pointing. Is this just a case of getting a view quotes from builders?

Yes you could , but it really is not that difficult to DIY.

elsien

Inside wall could also be water coming through from next door - I've just had that problem in my bathroom with next door's shower leaking and soaking the wall.