Cement path by stone wall?

[Kendo1]

Hi, hoping someone can give some more opinions, as I’m getting very conflicting advice.

Moved into a Victorian house a year ago. As you can see from pic 1 it has a brick front and limestone sides/gable ends. It is on quite a steep hill with this (left) side being higher. We have a damp problem on the inside of this stone wall.

Damp people came out and said that to start with we need to put a French drain along the higher side. So to this end have excavated the ground and dug a deep soakaway in the front lawn. SO far so good

Then after they started the job they said the French drain wouldn’t work and have started to install an Aco trench drain instead. Embedded it in a layer of screed with a view to putting a concrete path there, sloping down into the drain.

I’m not sure how much good this will do, as I thought the problem was water running down the hill through the ground, rather than surface water landing on it. But I am mostly worried about putting a cement path right up touching the limestone walls.

As you can see someone many years ago decided to repoint both gables in cement which is damaging the limestone and will all need raking out. This is a separate job but it’s made me worried capping this with more cement. The path might both trap moisture in and damage the lower stones/foundations that are to be covered up

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[Mr Chibs]

If, from your pictures the acco drain has been set in place, perhaps you put put a pebble border instead of concrete next to the house.

Is the stone Wall, stone inside or just faced in stone on the outside?

 

[Kendo1]

Thanks for replying. Yep that could be an option. There's already a layer of screed down, so would you say pull that up, before putting the pebbles down? But I guess then the acco drain is catching none of the water at all except what rain falls directly on top.

Stone wall is rendered and faced with plaster inside, but basically solid stone.

 

[Mr Chibs]

Why was the french drain abandoned in favour of the acco?

Perhaps the smart money was to try to lower the ground level... that said if the wall is solid stone, I presume there is no dpc, so moisture may just make it’s way up/inwards.

How bad is the damp on the inside?