1910s 2 story terraced house, damp along my side of party wall
Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.53 PM
I'm having issues trying to deal with a damp problem along the wall adjoining my neighbours property. They have had a downpipe in their front garden next to my front door which has been blocked underground for at least the last 3 years, gushing like a fountain whenever there is heavy rainfall. The level of ground is lower in this corner, causing water to pool against the structure. They also appear to have damaged masonry at the base of the wall.
I've had a chemical damp course put in (idiot that I am, fell for the con). The wall above the damp course is now bone dry, but under it the masonry still gets soaked everytime it rains. I have had moisture monitors along the base of the exposed brick inside for over a year and they are usually sitting at 80% even with a dehumidier running next to them all day or having the front door wide open when its dry. The readings only begin to drop if we have a prolonged period without rain.
As of this week the letting agency (its a HMO) finally got a handyman out to make repairs on the downpipe, but he seems to be of the opinion that it's 'normal' for older houses to have damp problems like this and has no intention of dealing with the damaged masonry or accepting that the problem in their property could be causing the headache in mine.
I am also concerned the foundations may be damaged. Windows I had newly installed in the upstairs bedroom the front of the house last year are beginning to stick and small cracks have appeared in places they weren't before, particularly the window sills at the front downstairs and along the party wall itself.
Are these kind of symptoms normal for an older house or is he trying to pass the buck/not clued up on how damp works?
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
you have a few different issues here, the blocked drain pipe can be causing you penetrating damp, an injected damp proof course will not solve this as they are generally ineffective and just a scam trying to cover up damp rather than solve it. the masonry needs to be repaired using lime mortar rather than cement, the windows maybe a different reason, windows in the past were usually wooden the frames were used as support for the brickwork above when you replace them with modern plastic windows you need to install a lintel to replace the supporting wood you are removing or else the brick work can move creating issues with the new windows but without looking at the house in question its really impossible to be 100% certain of exactly what is happening, generally modern materials are used on older houses causing untold damage through sheer ignorance, modern materials and old houses do not work well together as they are trying to achieve different thing creating rot & dampness were there was none, as most tradesmen today are trained in with modern materials you biggest issue will be getting someone who understand how you building was constructed & how the materials used were paramount in keeping the property dry & secure.
good luck Alex
Sounds like trapped moisture and salt build up beneath impervious plaster. Usually gets identified as rising damp by the ignorant salesman but usually the true cause is interstitial condensation.
Party walls tend to have more moisture stress than majority of the other walls so definitely need doing.
I guess it was a member of the PCA who sold you a damp course in the first place?...absolute waste of money.
You need to remove the plaster back to brickwork and dry out the fabric. No doubt it's modern materials on a traditionally built wall.
Another thing you need to do is concentrate on the moisture you produce internally...as much as you do externally.
Its a lot to think about in your question
To answer them all I’d get a qualified damp surveyor to look at everything & give you a check list of what’s causing your damp issues plus it carry’s abit more weight with the neighbor then some handy man with no background in damp
But yeah bricks underneath damp courses are normaly more beaten up then above the damp course
