Garage help - ground level is above the damp course

SalsaDanca

Hi,

Earlier this year I moved into a house which has a detached double garage. The previous owner has had a brick patio/courtyard laid between the house and the garage. Unfortunately, the ground level has been raised above the garage's damp proof course.

A couple of pictures:





From outside, you can see 12 bricks between ground level and the bottom of the window. From inside, you can see that there are 15 bricks above the damp proofing that runs between the wall and the concrete floor, and the lower rows of bricks are darker than the rest.

How bad is this? What's the best way of preventing it, preferably without removing the whole patio?

if it's relevant, the garage wall is only one layer of bricks thick. At some point I'd like to have the garage window replaced with a side door.

phil24_7

I would get the edge of the patio dug up and finished short of the garage and then install a French drain covered with decorative gravel.

TheCyclingProgrammer

The above solution would probably be helpful but...It's a detached garage with no internal decoration that could be ruined by moisture and the risk of so-called "rising damp" is probably minimal anyway so honestly...does it really matter?

SalsaDanca

Thanks for the replies. As it's not an immediate problem I'll leave it for the time being.

I'll keep phil24_7's solution in mind in case the damp gets any worse, and if I'm getting any other work done in that area I'll consider installing the drain as a preventative measure.

WILLShorty

If your not to bad at DIY you could try something like dampsolve DPC cream or a similar product, it seems like a relatively simple and cheap process and all that is required is a drill and sealant gun.