Damp issue affecting neighbour.

Aylesbury_Duck

first78 wrote: »

https://www.flickr.com/photos/

I'd delete your link because we can see many more photos than the one you intended.

first78

stuart45 wrote: »

Thanks, I can see the photos now. I'm not surprised next door is getting a lot of damp, that is a real lash up.
However if you have no money and can't do the work yourself there's not much you can do.
It was a mistake to change the roof and leave the wall exposed like that.

This was how it was when we moved in...I don't know why anyone chose to put a flat roof on.

stuart45

Their roof was probably in poor condition and thought a flattie was the cheapest option, but it was selfish to leave next doors wall exposed like that. Even if you repaired the top 6 courses it could well still allow moisture through.

Doozergirl

It's not your flat roof that is the problem, per say but it appears that someone's demolished a joined outside extension/outhouse to create extra width to your extension. The flat roof is to save money (and the subsequent pitch may have been an issue), but the builder of your extension has utterly bodged an excuse of a party wall over your flat roof. They didn't even grace your neighbour with the same quality of brick as your extension, which isn't exactly high end . It indefensible and any survey should have highlighted that.

That cannot be patched - the bricks have rotted away(!) and it is your moral responsibility, and arguably your legal duty, to fix it. There was clearly no official party wall agreement in place at the time as the standard is shocking. That has been deteriorating for a long time.

There's no patch that would be any more economical. A patch in time saves nine and all that, but that was a mess from the start and I doubt they've been trouble free from the start.


Your neighbour's side is awful. I'm amazed it's been left that long, but I guess building standards where you live aren't all that grest in general. There could be other issues as well with the quality of the roof building, but that section of wall is obvious. One thing at a time, I guess.

first78

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's not your flat roof that is the problem, per say but it appears that someone's demolished a joined outside extension/outhouse to create extra width to your extension. The flat roof is to save money (and the subsequent pitch may have been an issue), but the builder of your extension has utterly bodged an excuse of a party wall over your flat roof. They didn't even grace your neighbour with the same quality of brick as your extension, which isn't exactly high end . It indefensible and any survey should have highlighted that.

That cannot be patched - the bricks have rotted away(!) and it is your moral responsibility, and arguably your legal duty, to fix it. There was clearly no official party wall agreement in place at the time as the standard is shocking. That has been deteriorating for a long time.

There's no patch that would be any more economical. A patch in time saves nine and all that, but that was a mess from the start and I doubt they've been trouble free from the start.


Your neighbour's side is awful. I'm amazed it's been left that long, but I guess building standards where you live aren't all that grest in general. There could be other issues as well with the quality of the roof building, but that section of wall is obvious. One thing at a time, I guess.

Thanks. Do you know I feel this is something our insurance would cover to fix? Or does anyone have any idea what this would cost us to repair?

Doozergirl

Your insurance will not cover shoddy workmanship nor a lack of maintenance after wear and tear. You have both.

Someone need to take a look at both sides and take internal and internal measurements to work out what the whole of that wall is made of.

That will work out what the proper solution is. I'd suggest a surveyor, but a propely decent builder will know instinctively, the aim is to find one that isn't a bodger like the first.

You pay once to do it properly. You pay twice to do it badly - as you're discovering.

FreeBear

Doozergirl wrote: »

I the builder of your extension has utterly bodged an excuse of a party wall over your flat roof. They didn't even grace your neighbour with the same quality of brick as your extension, which isn't exactly high end . It indefensible and any survey should have highlighted that.

That cannot be patched - the bricks have rotted away(!) and it is your moral responsibility, and arguably your legal duty, to fix it. There was clearly no official party wall agreement in place at the time as the standard is shocking. That has been deteriorating for a long time.

Would totally agree with this assessment. The bricks look as if they could have been seconds, and certainly laid with cement mortar - The way they have deteriorated demonstrates why lime mortar should be used on solid brick walls. There has been some repointing done on the neighbour's side, again with cement. There are a few (minor) cracks showing along with some more serious cracking.

Aside from the atrocious brickwork, the flashing over the ridge tile should extend a bit further over and down to stop rain from being driven in at that point. Also looks like the bedding mortar is missing below the ridge tile where the flashing is.

The felt could do with some proper flashing installed rather than hoping it will stick to the brickwork and a bit of mortar over the top to stop rain running down the back - Long term, this won't work, so needs fixing soon.

stuart45

To be fair to the builders it looks like they may have used the same bricks for the wall as the extension.
LBC commons, which although quite expensive now, were probably the cheapest around when that was built. Not the best in a freeze/thaw exposed area.