Really need some advice with Damp in my 1915 terraced house/brickwork

Have you got air vents in each room? Or window vents? You could contact a damp proofing company to inject your walls. I insulated all my walls in my house but you will lose room space and it can be expensive. Hope this helps.

Hi Rebecca, Congratulations on buying your first home, go you! Firstly, don’t be scared, a lot of damp issues are easily resolved. Unfortunately many people cover damp problems with quick, temporary fixes in the hope it will resolve the issue, sadly it tends to make things worse. It’s difficult to provide any comment of real value without seeing photos etc. New plaster can take a while to dry out fully especially if there’s a lack of heating. My honest advice would be to contact a genuine damp proofing company and ask they conduct a survey in-line with BS 6576 to establish where the moisture is coming from and what they recommend with regards to a solution. Lastly, be careful what you Google and read on the internet regarding damp. There’s a lot of people out there sharing opinions however no two scenarios are ever the same. Good luck with everything, stay positive, I’m sure you’ll have it sorted in no time! Best wishes, DAMPX

Hi Rebecca You need an independent qualified damp surveyor, they will pin point your problems so you know exactly what needs doing. They do charge a fee but it will be well worth the money as it could save you a lot of money in unnecessary works. Hope this helps. Best Colin

I would be looking for why is there damp areas first. Is there gutter problems leaking or is the mortar joints failing maybe needs repointing .not to sure about the bit of your story about bricks on your roof!!

Whilst your house may be in need of repairs to the tiles and/or chimney to ensure the integrity of roof, alongside maintenance it is important to diagnose other possible causes of dampness. There are only 3 types of damp. I. Rising damp where the walls appear 'wet' (plater flaking/paper peeling) up to about 1 metre high. This is caused by the lack of a dpc (damp-proof course ) allowing moisture and salts to be drawn up the wall, out of the earth, by capillary action, hence it only rises to about 1m high before gravity takes over and prevents any further rise. Damp floors are also caused by rising damp and the best course of action is to apply a membrane and tanking. 2.Penetrating damp which is coming through the walls from outside. Building materials are porous, bricks, stone, mortar but if there is a cavity wall (and the cavity is NOT bridged, this should keep the inside skin dry. However if the cavity is filled (by say CW insulation) this may allow exterior damp to penetrate to the inside making the interior walls damp. External render on a solid wall can help but in really heavy rain this, being porous, it can still allow some water ingress. Especially if the render is lime based as this acts like a sponge and soaks up water keeping the walls damp. Yes it dries out in prolonged spells of dry weather but in the SW of the UK we get lots of rain so the walls stay almost permanently wet! 3. Condensation is the third type of damp which occurs when too much moisture builds up (everyone, by showering, washing, cooking and just breathing, releases about a gallon of moisture into the air in a house per day!) so when the air cools in the evening it is released as condensation in cold spots along skirting boards, bathroom ceilings, bottom of wardrobes etc. This can be cured by improving ventilation and extracting the damp air.