Damp on external wall old property

mutty_hc

Concrete floor in the lounge, elsewhere is floorboards

We only moved in to this property in July, so not looking to move out!

I came across a product that can remove coatings etc. a type of paint stripper?

I was thinking it would need replastering inside first with lime plaster on the exterior walls, which should allow it to breath internally then?

mutty_hc

Stripped all paper tonight: pics below

Will take radiator off the wall at the weekend to get behind that

Stripped the paper all off tonight - see pics below:

https://ibb.co/72Hg2CG
https://ibb.co/k3NKch2
https://ibb.co/rZ55ghf
https://ibb.co/cgbZr7H
https://ibb.co/DMkrr4N
https://ibb.co/cYGXSzy

The fireplace bit was a strange one, it had an electric fire in front of it which just pulled away and revealed that area.
Bricks feel dry, albeit somewhat crumbly. There was a lot of insulation stuffed in there which I took out, some of this was damp. Beneath the skim is clearly lime plaster, so it would seem the previous owner just had a skim put over the top of the old plaster.

Some plaster was blown next to the radiator, beneath it was very damp, but is now bone dry - this was while the heating was on tonight as well.

I am considering removing that fireplace as well - does that seem like a good idea?

Also - pulled carpet up, floor underneath is bone dry. Did it in a few areas, corners etc.

Thanks.

Doozergirl

I'm just bumping this up before it falls off the page. My phone is playing up nd I can't view anyof the pictures. Need to look from my laptop tomorrow.

FreeBear

mutty_hc wrote: »

Concrete floor in the lounge, elsewhere is floorboards

Lemme guess - The worst room for "rising damp" is the lounge ?

If so, I'll let doozergirl chip in with her opinions.

mutty_hc

jeepjunkie wrote: »

Out of interest... do the windows have open trickle vents? Definitely strip off the polystyrene. What sort of heating does the house have? Any leaking pipes? Is there a cavity wall? Has it been filled? [I ask as I had a house 100+ years old that had cavity walls]. I take it gutters are in good repair and not leaking. Same for roof? Etc

Yes to vents
Stripped off
Oil fired boiler
No leaks as far as I can see
No cavity wall - solid brick
Gutters all good

A few more bits of info

Floor in lounge definitely concrete with an mdf wood covering. Concrete floor was coated in bitumin x2 coats and when previous owner moved in (2001) was damp - at that time there was no coating/ no gypsum on the walls

I bought a hygrometer, readings are
60% RH when heating / wood burner is on (heating at 16C)
7.8C dew point

Then overnight I checked
65% RH
8.8C dew point
Room temp 14C

Walls are actually covered in lime plaster, with a thin skim of gypsum over the top (not sure if I can remove this?)

Thanks

Mutton_Geoff

Here are the pics ..

Doozergirl

Thank you, Mutton Geoff!

Have we seen outside yet? That's the important bit!

The context of the room as well, is helpful, not just the damp patches.

Nice bit of stain blocking paint there. The previous owner clearly had an issue.

FreeBear

mutty_hc wrote: »

I bought a hygrometer, readings are
60% RH when heating / wood burner is on (heating at 16C)

Then overnight I checked
65% RH

Walls are actually covered in lime plaster, with a thin skim of gypsum over the top (not sure if I can remove this?)

Depending on the source of information, humidity should be in the 40-60% range. 65% is a little above, but nothing too much to worry about - It certainly isn't at a level that would cause condensation.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to remove the gypsum plaster from the walls without taking the lime with it. The plasterer that did the skim job probably coated the walls with PVA first (which would have soaked in), and then slapped the plaster on.

mutty_hc

Log burner does lower the RHI of the room.

I have noticed two issues on the outside of the property this evening

There was an old drainage pipe that was taken away (previously leaked) - the pipe went into a concrete drain, this is now removed, the concrete is still there and is essentially stuck right next to the corner of the wall - not too sure what is underneath. Will try to remove it.

Then also, two slabs are put down next to the house and are concreted to the wall.

Furthermore, the Laurel (which was quite large) has a large root which runs right next to the property itself. Again will post some pics.

Guessing to remove these (slowly kill roots?) and then eventually fit a french drain?

FreeBear

mutty_hc wrote: »

Furthermore, the Laurel (which was quite large) has a large root which runs right next to the property itself. Again will post some pics.

Guessing to remove these (slowly kill roots?) and then eventually fit a french drain?

Chopping down the laurel won't kill it. It will sprout up again in the spring. Best thing to do if you can't get the roots out is to drill a hole in the stump and fill it with a stump killer such as SBK - If you do this, put a flower pot or bucket over it to stop local cats & wildlife having a lick.

French drain is good. By the sounds of it, you'll have plenty of grunt work to build up a sweat over.