Newsletter ▶ https://skill-builder.uk/signup ◀

Check out Builder's Tee: https://www.builders-tee.com/

Damp problems in a single brick skin house - Seeking expert advice!

Our message from Rachel:

I am writing to you today for advice on a persistent damp problem in our old house. We live in a single brick terrace house in Hanover, Brighton built in the 1800s on a timber sole plate.

We had blown plaster under the front window and peeling paint. Having done a lot of research on preserving breathability in old houses, we opted for a partial refurbishment (due to funds) addressing the hotspot. We had the front and back of the wall taken back to brick about a meter high, replastered with lime-based plaster, and painted with breathable paint. Finding builders who understood this approach was challenging, but we eventually did.

During the removal of the plaster, the wall was in bad shape, with lots of gaps and crumbling bricks, and the plaster helped to keep the window up. They had to call in someone to rebrick part of the wall. While at it, they put in a layer of plastic DPC. Unfortunately, after more than a year, we're facing new/ongoing damp issues:

- Dampness at floor level along the inside walls: visible as mould, salt crystals, and circular "blooms" that worsen with rain, primarily at the bottom corners of the window.
- Bulging areas in the wall.

We've consulted the original builder, but their explanation (time needed for drying out wet bricks) hasn't addressed the ongoing issues and doesn't seem like it's ever going to happen.

We had the exterior front decorated with breathable Keim paint on the new render section and regular paint on the old cement render. He seemed like a proper craftsperson, taking lots of care. He ground out cracks on the old render, filled them, rendered right to the edges of the window to create a seal, and formed a ledge seal to meet the horizontal top of the windows. When we told him about our internal issues, he was genuinely perplexed and went over what he'd done, feeling sure he'd done it right.

With regards to the new brickwork and plaster, we're unsure about:

- Cement usage: Is the amount of cement at the ground level, window corners, and where new meets old brickwork okay? - Is the mortar too close and overlapping? Is the mortar too messy, does it seem not staggered, or has a big gap?- Is the brickwork around the air brick okay?

- DPC placement: Is the yellow plastic DPC suitable for our situation and installed correctly?- A friend said the DPC must be six inches off ground level. Is what they’ve done that you can see sufficient/right?

- A Friend said with a DPM, they should have really gone up the side at least two bricks, and there should be a wall tile where a mental stip is screwed vertically onto the existing wall with little tongues that stick out and go into the mortar between every second brick or so on the new bit. Is this correct/needed?

- Will the bottom couple of rows of bricks that are in the ground suck up moisture from and water that runs along the pavement?

- If it was water hitting the wall, would all the wall be wet rather than specific areas?

- The pavement level outside is higher, but we can’t alter that. Pavement cracks - could they be letting water travel through? Do I need to regrout the pavement?

- The NHBC standards - do I have anything to use there with the guy that did the work for rules that building works have to follow?

- Primer: Keim advised against using any other primer with Keim paint. Did we miss a crucial step by not using a waterproofing product on the lime render?

==========================================
#damp #homeimprovement #bricklaying

📪 Newsletter: http://skill-builder.uk/signup

  / skillbuilder  

  / skillbuilderchannel  

  / skill_builder  

  / skillbuilderuk  

🔗 Skill Builder Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/skillbuilder

🛒 As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases

🎬 Video library: https://www.youtube.com/skillbuilderc...

💧 We Support Charity Water: https://www.charitywater.org

◾ Out of respect to our sponsors and followers, we'll remove comments that do not follow expected standards of politeness and decency.