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Damp Proofing

Damp in hallway of 1880s sandstone house

Anonymous user 23 February 2024 - 2.47 PM

For a while now, my hallway has become very wet whenever it rains. This affects both sides of the doorway and the damp can go approx half a meter high. A builder says it was caused by a prolonged period of heavy rain last year (apparently the same has happened with other houses in the area). He gave it damp proof injections (cream) but this has failed. My concern is that the house is an 1880's sandstone house and I have since discovered through internet research that old houses should not have damp proof courses or use waterproof plaster as this can exacerbate the issue. I'm yet to discover what the cure is though! Any help would be much appreciated as I don't want to keep throwing money away or make the issue worse.

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1 Answer

ADR Property Maintenance

Rating: 5 out of 55592 reviews

Boston

damp proof injection course hasn't failed, it is for rising damp which is not your problem. without looking at the wall and roof it is not possible to be 100% sure of exactly what the issue is. if it has been re-pointed using a cement based pointing, could be the roof line if the gutter felt has eroded, older buildings and new materials do not work very well together. this type of building would have been built using a lime mortar which allows it to breathe, anything which stops this process will trap water in the walls. as there is no cavity, it then transfers from the external to the internal wall causing dampness mostly mistaken for rising damp. you need a builder who is used to understanding older buildings and the unique way the building materials used allow the building to function properly. all these materials are still available although dearer than modern materials, getting a tradesman who knows how to use them might be a tad harder. good luck alex

Answered21 October 2013