Carpentry & Joinery

Damp problem, damaged joists and floor

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 2.39 PM

We have had water coming in from the outside of our double bay house. This is probably because of very old cemented area just in front of the bay that is in a poor condition. The two vents that are at each side of the bay that has been partially covered with some tar and stone type covering that was done by the previous owners obviously just to cover before selling the house. This seems to stay quite damp for some time after it rains. We have damp that is present inside up to the window (approx. 3.5ft) mainly in the winter or when very wet. This makes me believe the problem stems from the cemented area outside. I have re-plastered inside right down to the bone with a damp proof course also done, but it hasn’t stopped the problem. There is some rotten wood around the floor boards in the bay and the play in the floor indicates that 1 or more joist have perished in the bay area. My question is, can the joists be repaired in that area rather than completely replaced? Will completely removing the old cemented area outside the front of the house and replaced with new be advisable making sure the vents are opened up again(would a plastic membrane underneath the cement be advisable?). Will I need to hack all the way back to the bone again on the inside or just the surface plaster because the walls are rock solid considering it was done with sand and cement then skimmed by a builder for me a few years ago? Any advice that could be given with regards this matter would be much appreciated. Thank you…