Crack in pebbledash causing damp

[baggers87]

Hi there,

Bought a house 2 years ago which didn't seem to have any major damp issues.
We have noticed on the front of the house we have got a few hairline cracks and with the extremely wet weather we had a few months back we have now got damp in an upstairs bedroom!

As we are new to the DIY world we called in a pebbledash 'expert' who said we would need to damp proof the front with some sort of protective barrier and then re pebbledash on top - the whole front AND back of house (even though we have no pebbledash at the back of the house !) We were told that it was cost £3.5k to fix!!

I am just wondering since they are such tiny cracks could we not just fill them ourselves and give the whole front of the house a good lick of paint (since its peeling in a lot of places which most probably is letting in a bit of water)

I have attached photos but the cracks are quite small they are on the right hand side of the building

Any advice for us newbies would be greatly appreciated!!
View media item 76991 View media item 76992

 

[Nige F]

the damp is probably con densation - and the expert is a densation man . maybe ask in the plastering forum If the building guys are quiet

 

[gregers]

is it just the paint that is cracked?
if so just repaint using a good quality masonry paint maybe use an exterior chalk to fill the bad cracks in the paint,as for the quote you have been given,well i personally think that needs to go in the bin.
so the guy wants to hack off all your pebble dash and install something to stop damp from penetrating and then re dash your walls and do the back???isnt that what the pebble dash is supposed to do.

 

[joe-90]

Most houses have no render so why don't they get damp issues? Ignore the con artists. Chuck the quote in the bin.

 

[dishman]

I concur with the above opinions. I have pebbledash which has actually blown out in places, so you can see the brickwork underneath, no damp. Those look like tiny hairline cracks one would expect to find.

This is not a criticism of you, but homeowners in general where things like condensation are concerned:

Many homeowners get condensation and more often than not like to assume that tackling the worst case scenario at huge expense will always be the best solution.

Maybe this is

1) Because it removes responsibility from the homeowner and it can be blamed on a "building flaw".

or

2) The feeling that throwing a lot of cash at a problem (before the cause is fully identified) gives homeowners a lot of comfort.

Like I said, not a criticism of you, but it seems to be a common course of action when damp is spotted.

Read my or any other of the recent posts on damp.

It is very likely to be caused or recently exacerbated by your own living habits combined with the humid/damp weather we have had recently:

Do you have extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom?
How do you dry your clothes in the house?
Do you ever open windows to get some airflow in to the property
Does the way you use your heating exacerbate or encourage damp (lots of on/off on/off heating).

Examine these areas first and exclude them as the cause. Best of all, it is free!

 

[Nige F]

looking @ the un rendered wall - it`s 9 inch brickwork . So it`ll be colder than if house was cavity walled

 

[Guitar_man]

Nice brickwork that, be a shame to cover it up with render.
Attack the free or cheap issues first as others have said. Then once they have be excluded you'll have to start spending money.

 

[Andyc84]

@OP and others,

I have had the same problem with render rather than pebble dash.

there were sections where the render had blown and being a solid wall and the awful weather this lead to patches of "damp" on the inside. this is not condensation as it was clearly in spots in random sections of the wall. funnily enough right next to the blown bits of render.

I got a builder in to re-render the blown sections, having done this the walls on the inside have dried and no further issues, and this i before I have gotten around to re-painting, which will no doubt help again.

The total cost of the job was £200 all in for a repair that is approx 1foot wide by 4foot long, and included a couple of extra patches that the chap filled while he was up there and had the render mix ready.

Don't go along with the condensation if it is clearly damp through penetration. but I knew what the cause was without getting an expert in and without it costing the earth to remedy the issue.

 

[joe-90]

It's not the same issue. Why do you think that it is?

 

[dishman]

@OP and others,

I have had the same problem with render rather than pebble dash.

........Don't go along with the condensation if it is clearly damp through penetration. but I knew what the cause was without getting an expert in and without it costing the earth to remedy the issue.

But your problem is not the same as the problem we are addressing. We can clearly see by the images the pebbledash looks to be in good condition. It is not blown out and there appear to be a few tiny hairline "movement" cracks..which is quite normal.

In any case, no one is saying it is specifically one problem or another. We are simply saying use a process of elimination. Start by looking at the things you can change free! Then look at all the other possibilities.

 

[Andyc84]

Sorry, I could have explained better.

My render looked in no worse condition than in the photos, it's only when I got on a ladder to look at the cracks in my paint work that it was obvious sections that had blown, they were not fixed to the wall, but hadn't moved much, this left a void between the wall and render surface allowing moisture to build up, I'm not suggesting the OP gets someone to do a cheap fill, just get up there on a ladder (safely) and check it is just a few cracks and nothing worse. If it's all still sound then it's not the same as my issue. It's just obvious (at least I think it is) when it's a patch of very damp plaster on the inside on a very specific location.

Sorry for any confusion and I'm not disagreeing with anyone, just giving another opinion!

 

[dishman]

No problem. And feel free to disagree! It is exactly what the forum is for! As long as people do it nicely!

You may or may not be correct with your course of action....

All we were stressing to the OP is that you should eliminate all the things that could cause the damp through how you use the property, which is free, rather then jumping in with a worse case scenario...everything needs re-rendering at huge cost and may not fix anything.

On glance at those photos, the rendering/pebbledash looks pretty good. Without more information as to where the damp is forming, what time of day, how badly...it is hard to diagnose further.....

 

[joe-90]

Sorry, I could have explained better.

My render looked in no worse condition than in the photos, it's only when I got on a ladder to look at the cracks in my paint work that it was obvious sections that had blown, they were not fixed to the wall, but hadn't moved much, this left a void between the wall and render surface allowing moisture to build up, I'm not suggesting the OP gets someone to do a cheap fill, just get up there on a ladder (safely) and check it is just a few cracks and nothing worse. If it's all still sound then it's not the same as my issue. It's just obvious (at least I think it is) when it's a patch of very damp plaster on the inside on a very specific location.

Sorry for any confusion and I'm not disagreeing with anyone, just giving another opinion!

So where did the 'moisture' come from? And why was the render blown in the first instance? You've got a condensation issue.

 

[Andyc84]

Thanks Joe-90 but I don't think I have a condensation issue on a patch of wall 100mm square oposite the blown render which has now been fixed thanks to a new patch of render.

I believe mine was caused by the fitting of a new window next to the patch, it was obviously blown as it was hollow and I have found the remedy as it is no longer an issue.

I was just advocating that the OP gets on a ladder for free and has a look around rather than just from ground level.

He has also said that he wants it painting so it would be a good idea to do a check on those cracks before painting.

I re-iterate I am not saying it cant be condensation, I am just saying it might not be.

Perhaps the OP could post an image of the "damp" as that may help solve the issue?

 

[joe-90]

If you want to talk about your house then start a new thread.