Damp Proofing

Conflicting info regarding re-pointing period property

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.20 PM

Hi there, We live in a first floor flat in a converted period house in North London. The house was built in 1910. Both us and our downstairs neighbour have suffered intermittent damp issues; both in the upper areas of the rooms at the back, which is mostly prominent after bouts of heavy rain, suggesting penetrating damp. We have had a damp survey, and have scoured the internet, but we have received much conflicting info regarding how best to rectify our problems - we have been told that filling in where the pointing is missing with cement, and then using a damp proof wash on the house will suffice to prevent water coming in, which will in time dry out; however, we have also read that cement render is very bad for period properties as it traps condensation, and that we should use lime mortar, however, this seems to be a far costlier option. We have also been told that damp proofing course will possibly be required for our downstairs neighbour, however, we have also been told this is bad for the bricks and won't allow the house to breathe, causing further problems down the line. Having looked at the house, it seems that we have patches where the pointing has been replaced with cement, however this isn't where the problems are occurring. We're unsure of the best course of action to take, so some advice will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Sam