damp proof skirt???

stu68

I have just moved in to a 1840ish cottage which on the homebuyers report said has rising damp, I have had the heating running for about 3 weeks now and removed the skirting and removed all the “blown “ plaster I could find ,the walls appear bone dry now? So I am not to sure what to do next. But outside all of the original walls have a cement skirt running from ground level to about 7 inches up the wall? Was this used as some form of original damp proof and is it going to prove a problem? (The survey didn’t mention it at all.)

Thanks

brightontraveller

Help you identify damp cause remedy


http://www.pavingexpert.com/dpc01.htm

stu68

Just something else to add to my original post, I cut away some of the cement skirt and underneath is a layer of flint? So im wondering if that is some form of 1800s DPC????

brightontraveller

Sometimes found on older properties, particularly those built prior to the Second World War. The most commonly encountered alternatives are the brick damp course and the slate dpc. The brick dpc uses a clay brick with a very low absorption rate as a barrier to rising damp. The slate versions also rely on the impermeability of the slate to stop the 'wicking' of water via capillary action. Is it the damp your trying to get rid of because there can be a number of causes for damp eg external influence or internal eg bathroom shower condensation etc