Damp patch in bathroom - Builder or roofer?

IntotheAbyss

Hi,

We have just moved into our first house (02/11/20) and last week I noticed what looks like a wet patch in the corner of the bathroom where the wall meets the ceiling. It feels more cold than wet to the touch. Don't think it was there when we viewed the house in July but can't say for sure. 

I've had a look outside and can't see anything obvious but I don't know what I would be looking for anyway. Guttering appears fine, but it's been surprisingly dry the last week so I haven't been able to view it when it's raining. I've poked my head up into the attic space and can't see any signs of water in that corner, but the light in the attic is not very bright and I'm not exactly sure what I'd be looking for anyway besides a big wet patch or a gaping hole.

The home buyer's report we had done flagged a few things about the roof (chimney stack & some damaged tiles) and we are going to book a roofer in the new year to get these issues fixed. Would a roofer or builder be best to find the cause of the damp patch?

1) The damp patch:


2) Outside:


3) Outside, view from below:


4) Outside, view from below 2:


The tiles in photo 2 show discolouring(?) - could it be these tiles are damaged or worn and causing the damp? Or would you say they are just dirty and it's normal discolouring?

Appreciate any comments, thanks.

neilmcl

I think your roofer would be able to ascertain where the leak is coming from. You'd be best advised to actually get up in the loft to have a closer look to see if it's coming from within there but it could also be a problem with the guttering, there could be a blockage with it backing up and overflowing at the end. There's also what looks like salt deposits form the underside of the brickwork at the guttering which would also point to a leak from that vicinity.

Also, don't rule out plain old mould from condensation, it's no doubt a bit of a cold spot in that corner. How old is the property?

IntotheAbyss

neilmcl said:

I think your roofer would be able to ascertain where the leak is coming from. You'd be best advised to actually get up in the loft to have a closer look to see if it's coming from within there but it could also be a problem with the guttering, there could be a blockage with it backing up and overflowing at the end. There's also what looks like salt deposits form the underside of the brickwork at the guttering which would also point to a leak from that vicinity.

Also, don't rule out plain old mould from condensation, it's no doubt a bit of a cold spot in that corner. How old is the property?

Thank you for your reply.

At the moment we only have a step ladder and we're not tall enough to hoist ourselves up from the top of the ladder to actually get into the loft. I can just about get my head up there if I'm standing on the top step/platform.
My dad needs to get into the loft to look at the electrics from the extractor fan and asked me how tall our ladder was as he couldn't climb into the loft either, so hopefully he has a taller ladder and we can get a proper look in there.

I will take a look the next time it rains to see if the guttering is blocked and overflowing.
If the brickwork maybe has salt deposits, I assume that means they would need replacing? Would that be a simple enough job for a roofer?

I'm sort of glad you mentioned condensation as the extractor fan wasn't working for the first 3 weeks. We found that before the fan was fixed there would be a lot of condensation in the bathroom - windows would be wet in the mornings and have to be wiped down, there'd be water running down the windows after a shower. There still is some condensation now but nowhere near as bad as before the fan was fixed.
The reason my dad wants to get up into the loft is to change the power supply to the fan as currently it only works when the bathroom light is on, but we'd like it to be powered independently so we can leave it on longer during the morning to make sure the air is cleared as much as as possible.

The windows (all of them) could probably do with replacing in the next few years, but we need to save a bit more money first. The house was built around 1958.

Since we are not getting a roofer until January/February, do you think it's worth seeing how well the fan fares and maybe the damp patch will have a chance to dry out or at least not get any worse? As I said, I only noticed it recently so maybe it's because the bathroom is being used for the first time in nearly a year (house was empty when we bought it) .

neilmcl

IntotheAbyss said:

neilmcl said:

I think your roofer would be able to ascertain where the leak is coming from. You'd be best advised to actually get up in the loft to have a closer look to see if it's coming from within there but it could also be a problem with the guttering, there could be a blockage with it backing up and overflowing at the end. There's also what looks like salt deposits form the underside of the brickwork at the guttering which would also point to a leak from that vicinity.

Also, don't rule out plain old mould from condensation, it's no doubt a bit of a cold spot in that corner. How old is the property?

Thank you for your reply.

At the moment we only have a step ladder and we're not tall enough to hoist ourselves up from the top of the ladder to actually get into the loft. I can just about get my head up there if I'm standing on the top step/platform.
My dad needs to get into the loft to look at the electrics from the extractor fan and asked me how tall our ladder was as he couldn't climb into the loft either, so hopefully he has a taller ladder and we can get a proper look in there.

I will take a look the next time it rains to see if the guttering is blocked and overflowing.
If the brickwork maybe has salt deposits, I assume that means they would need replacing? Would that be a simple enough job for a roofer?

I'm sort of glad you mentioned condensation as the extractor fan wasn't working for the first 3 weeks. We found that before the fan was fixed there would be a lot of condensation in the bathroom - windows would be wet in the mornings and have to be wiped down, there'd be water running down the windows after a shower. There still is some condensation now but nowhere near as bad as before the fan was fixed.
The reason my dad wants to get up into the loft is to change the power supply to the fan as currently it only works when the bathroom light is on, but we'd like it to be powered independently so we can leave it on longer during the morning to make sure the air is cleared as much as as possible.

The windows (all of them) could probably do with replacing in the next few years, but we need to save a bit more money first. The house was built around 1958.

Since we are not getting a roofer until January/February, do you think it's worth seeing how well the fan fares and maybe the damp patch will have a chance to dry out or at least not get any worse? As I said, I only noticed it recently so maybe it's because the bathroom is being used for the first time in nearly a year (house was empty when we bought it) .

No, it's just an indication that there's been some water ingress there, the bricks themselves would still be OK when left to dry out.

The reason I asked about age was to ascertain whether you had solid or cavity walls, as solid walls with a house fully clad in cement render is always going to be subject to certain amount of damp/condensation issues due to it's inability to breath.

If that is a damp patch due to water ingress then I'm afraid the longer you leave it the worse the damage is going to be. Get it looked at sooner than later.

IntotheAbyss

neilmcl said:

IntotheAbyss said:

neilmcl said:

I think your roofer would be able to ascertain where the leak is coming from. You'd be best advised to actually get up in the loft to have a closer look to see if it's coming from within there but it could also be a problem with the guttering, there could be a blockage with it backing up and overflowing at the end. There's also what looks like salt deposits form the underside of the brickwork at the guttering which would also point to a leak from that vicinity.

Also, don't rule out plain old mould from condensation, it's no doubt a bit of a cold spot in that corner. How old is the property?

Thank you for your reply.

At the moment we only have a step ladder and we're not tall enough to hoist ourselves up from the top of the ladder to actually get into the loft. I can just about get my head up there if I'm standing on the top step/platform.
My dad needs to get into the loft to look at the electrics from the extractor fan and asked me how tall our ladder was as he couldn't climb into the loft either, so hopefully he has a taller ladder and we can get a proper look in there.

I will take a look the next time it rains to see if the guttering is blocked and overflowing.
If the brickwork maybe has salt deposits, I assume that means they would need replacing? Would that be a simple enough job for a roofer?

I'm sort of glad you mentioned condensation as the extractor fan wasn't working for the first 3 weeks. We found that before the fan was fixed there would be a lot of condensation in the bathroom - windows would be wet in the mornings and have to be wiped down, there'd be water running down the windows after a shower. There still is some condensation now but nowhere near as bad as before the fan was fixed.
The reason my dad wants to get up into the loft is to change the power supply to the fan as currently it only works when the bathroom light is on, but we'd like it to be powered independently so we can leave it on longer during the morning to make sure the air is cleared as much as as possible.

The windows (all of them) could probably do with replacing in the next few years, but we need to save a bit more money first. The house was built around 1958.

Since we are not getting a roofer until January/February, do you think it's worth seeing how well the fan fares and maybe the damp patch will have a chance to dry out or at least not get any worse? As I said, I only noticed it recently so maybe it's because the bathroom is being used for the first time in nearly a year (house was empty when we bought it) .

No, it's just an indication that there's been some water ingress there, the bricks themselves would still be OK when left to dry out.

The reason I asked about age was to ascertain whether you had solid or cavity walls, as solid walls with a house fully clad in cement render is always going to be subject to certain amount of damp/condensation issues due to it's inability to breath.

If that is a damp patch due to water ingress then I'm afraid the longer you leave it the worse the damage is going to be. Get it looked at sooner than later.

Thanks for clarifying. I will definitely get a roofer to look sooner then.
I will also make sure to check in the loft space properly when I am able to get a longer ladder and will also look at the guttering when it rains to see if that could be the cause.

The home buyer's report we got states "the external walls are of cavity brick masonry construction with rendered elevations." So the better of the two options then.

FreeBear

A roofer will be able to clean the gutters out for you while he is up there checking the roof.

In your shoes, I'd be checking the downpipe at ground level. If it goes to a soakaway, is the underground pipe blocked and/or has the soakaway come to the end of its useful life (they often need digging out after 20 years or so).

IntotheAbyss

FreeBear said:

A roofer will be able to clean the gutters out for you while he is up there checking the roof.

In your shoes, I'd be checking the downpipe at ground level. If it goes to a soakaway, is the underground pipe blocked and/or has the soakaway come to the end of its useful life (they often need digging out after 20 years or so).

Thanks FreeBear. 
The downpipe seems fine at ground level. It just goes to the drain and doesn't appear to be blocked.

DiddyDavies

IntotheAbyss said:

At the moment we only have a step ladder and we're not tall enough to hoist ourselves up from the top of the ladder to actually get into the loft. I can just about get my head up there if I'm standing on the top step/platform.
My dad needs to get into the loft to look at the electrics from the extractor fan and asked me how tall our ladder was as he couldn't climb into the loft either, so hopefully he has a taller ladder and we can get a proper look in there.

If/when you get a builder round, it would be an ideal time to look into getting a loft ladder fitted. These are not particularly expensive and they make quite a difference when you have to get into the roof space. 

IntotheAbyss

DiddyDavies said:

IntotheAbyss said:

At the moment we only have a step ladder and we're not tall enough to hoist ourselves up from the top of the ladder to actually get into the loft. I can just about get my head up there if I'm standing on the top step/platform.
My dad needs to get into the loft to look at the electrics from the extractor fan and asked me how tall our ladder was as he couldn't climb into the loft either, so hopefully he has a taller ladder and we can get a proper look in there.

If/when you get a builder round, it would be an ideal time to look into getting a loft ladder fitted. These are not particularly expensive and they make quite a difference when you have to get into the roof space. 

Getting a loft ladder is something we plan to do at some stage. Not sure if we need to move the loft hatch first though (and how big of a job this is) as it's actually in the bathroom and I don't know if there's enough space for a proper loft ladder. I don't know the angles though so maybe a ladder would fit fine.

Emmia

Another option would be to replace the fan with one with a humidstat - this will keep the fan going even if the light is off if the humidity is over a certain level - also removes the need for a separate switch etc.

Jeepers_Creepers

That does look like water penetration to me, as opposed to condensation; it's just too sharply defined and actually looks proper wet in the very corner. That amount of damp from condensation would usually be accompanied by mould, and be spread along the wall/ceiling edges more, I think.

Can't see any obvious cause from the outside - the tiles look fine. Hopefully it's down to a blocked gutter that's overflowing, as suggested before. 

When you get your longer ladder and a nice bright torch, please report back on what you find up there! Hopefully you can get close enough to that corner in the loft to see signs of water coming in. 

Chances are it'll be a simple fix - there just doesn't seem to be anything particularly amiss or in poor order outside.