House built 1751 - Rising Damp

ryby30

Doozergirl said:

Please would you post us a photo of the gable wall from outside?  The whole thing if possible.  

What are the ground conditions like out there? 

What is the room used for?  Does it have windows?  It looks dark (of course, it could have been dark outside) 

What's behind you in that photo?  

** directly behind me is the back door to the house. I have seen previous old properties having poorly fitted external doors which have allowed water to gradually soak the floor and over time this has caused rising damp.

* I am a building contractor myself.

Doozergirl

ryby30 said:

Doozergirl said:

Please would you post us a photo of the gable wall from outside?  The whole thing if possible.  

What are the ground conditions like out there? 

What is the room used for?  Does it have windows?  It looks dark (of course, it could have been dark outside) 

What's behind you in that photo?  

** directly behind me is the back door to the house. I have seen previous old properties having poorly fitted external doors which have allowed water to gradually soak the floor and over time this has caused rising damp.

* I am a building contractor myself.

You're finding it.  You know there's always a reason for this stuff.  Downpipes disperse a hell of a lot of water and if there's a tumble drier in that room, for example, it will exacerbate the issue as you've high humidity inside that will happily highlight all affected areas.   

It may well be on the internal wall, but it's most likely to be tracking though.  I've seen damp track quite far through a house when it was being soaked from outside.  The adjoining wall is the least surprising to me.  

Is that external wall rendered on the inside?  It looks grey? 

If you understand buildings then I'd recommend getting someone in like Heritage House Consulting, if they have someone not too far away.   They're expensive but when I needed some reassurance and a bit of advice, I paid to have a walk over of a house  and made my own notes, to save him the time, and my clients the money, on typing it up.  

Doozergirl

AskAsk said:

You could get a quote from a damp proof company for treating that.

Really, don't. 

Have a little read up on the other damp threads on the forums.  Some of us are really quite nerdy and passionate about it.

No one needs a 'damp proof company', but a house built in 1751?  No way!!  Houses don't
suddenly stop working after 270 years.  They didn't have chemical injections for at least the first 220 years and the house stood for that long.  Something has changed for that to happen, that's what you look for and reverse it.  

 

ryby30

Doozergirl said:

AskAsk said:

You could get a quote from a damp proof company for treating that.

Really, don't. 

Have a little read up on the other damp threads on the forums.  Some of us are really quite nerdy and passionate about it.

No one needs a 'damp proof company', but a house built in 1751?  No way!!  Houses don't
suddenly stop working after 270 years.  They didn't have chemical injections for at least the first 220 years and the house stood for that long.  Something has changed for that to happen, that's what you look for and reverse it.  

 

I completely agree! Thank you for your attention to my thread, it is greatly appreciated. I have engaged with a local (Northern Ireland) based conservation specialist to have a walk through as you’ve suggested. I’m bidding to purchase this house as our family home, whilst now of the work gives me any concern it is causing concern to the surveyor for mortgage lender. I intend to arm myself with as much fact and info as possible prior to having the house surveyed by the lender in order to have the answers to their questions/concerns.

Doozergirl

Good luck with them!

And the house 🏡☺️

neilmcl

AskAsk said:

You could get a quote from a damp proof company for treating that.

Only if you want to waste a load of money.

neilmcl

ryby30 said:

Doozergirl said:

Please would you post us a photo of the gable wall from outside?  The whole thing if possible.  

What are the ground conditions like out there? 

What is the room used for?  Does it have windows?  It looks dark (of course, it could have been dark outside) 

What's behind you in that photo?  

** directly behind me is the back door to the house. I have seen previous old properties having poorly fitted external doors which have allowed water to gradually soak the floor and over time this has caused rising damp.

* I am a building contractor myself.

Then you should know that rising damp is largely a myth.

The source of the water ingress needs to be found, has there been any flooding in the past? The plaster will probably need to be removed and the walls allowed to dry out before replastering with a breathable lime plaster.

FreeBear

Doozergirl said: No one needs a 'damp proof company', but a house built in 1751?  No way!!

Not forgetting the OP has said the house is listed - Not sure of the rules in NI, but for the rest of the UK, the work could result in a criminal prosecution - It would be English Heritage bringing the charges, not the local council, so they have the time and funds to see it through,

ryby30

Just a small update 
Having spent a couple of hours outside last night in the rain watching how the water behaves in the trouble spot I’m confident I’ve found the issues. 

There is a concrete path around the property, whilst it is lower than floor level there does seem to be a slight back fall towards the house. A lot of moss and glut has formed in the crack between the bell cast and pathway. Add to that a retro fitted 50mm waste with no sealant where it has been cut through the building. Further inspection has show a concrete storm drain to be inadequate, a partially missing downpipe and a brick pillar tied into the outer brick skin of the house. All these defects are within 1m of each other and all on the external of the only room I’ve got a damp issue with. 

Long story short, water ingress! 

Apodemus

Thanks for the update.  Good result!