Penetrating damp in kids bedroom- tanking??

teamscottbarnes

Hi, we have had an ongoing problem since last January with damp in our childrens room. When it appeared we had some roofers come out and they went up checked the flashing and tiles, relaid some coping stones between us and our neighbour and slapped on lots of that waterproofing solution. This seemed to fix the problem and we had 4 damp free months. However when the heavy rain of the summer occured so did the damp.

Our neighbours house is currently council owned thus i decided to ask them to come and take a look seeing as the problem is occuring where we adjoin to their house. They have been rubbish to say the least and one so called roofer went up on the roof with a tube of silicone in the rain and just filled anything he thought looked dodgey.

With all the heavy rain we have been having their room is now soaking and their health is my prime concern. Thus i had a surveyor out yesterday to give me his expert opinion. He says the problem is penetrating damp due to a number of factors:

1- our neighbours house is elevated to ours and we attach to her gable wall.
2- we live in a valley and the prevailing wind/driving rain hits our house and her gable wall first.
3- the houses are old stone cottages and her gable wall is solid not cavity thus her wall is saturated, i.e. the water enters her wall the runs into our house.

Obviously this has been a problem previously as her gable wall is covered in a very old layer of bitumen.

The surveyor has suggested that her gable wall, where we attach needs tanking but what i'd like to know is what exactly this would entail. Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received as i'm tearing my hair out. We want to sell but can't until this is sorted.

ormus

http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/bal/bal_products/wp1_tnk.asp

i would look at other reasons/solutions first. her wall may need repointing?

if you really must tank the wall, then this product is well respected in the trade. and its fairly cheap too.
esp when compared to the many cowboys who operate in the tanking field.

ormus

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussion_forum.htm

ps.
this forum has lots of advice on stone walls and damp problems etc.

teamscottbarnes

Received the quote from surveyors this morning and just wanted someones opinion. He says the work that needs doing is-
"remove the damp, salt contaminated wall plaster and apply a combination salt screen/tanking system that will be fixed using non ferrous patented fixings and seals and skim on top, then remove adjacent salt contaminated wall plaster and reinstate the same ensuring it is isolated from the masonry by the previously mentioned salt screen/tanking membrane which will be extended beyond the ceiling light".

Thus it seems that all the work he is suggesting needs doing is actually within my childrens bedroom and nothing done to the outside where the damp is coming from. Does this seem right? He suggests that this will prevent capillary moisture which is laterally transmitted from the neighbouring gable wall. (?)

He has quoted £588 plus VAT for this work- can anyone advise me please?