DPC failed is it too high?

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have no idea about walls I'm just going of my EPC which says the property is solid walls with no cavity.

Your outside walls might have no cavity, but the party wall may have one. Normally, a 9" wall, would have a few bricks laid end on, so they tie the two leaves of the wall together. A cavity wall would have wall ties, tieing across the cavity gap, so no end-on bricks visible. A single brick wall would look exactly the same.

 

[JohnD]

Do you have a fireplace on the party wall?

 

[JohnD]

Your outside walls might have no cavity, but the party wall may have one. Normally, a 9" wall, would have a few bricks laid end on, so they tie the two leaves of the wall together. A cavity wall would have wall ties, tieing across the cavity gap, so no end-on bricks visible. A single brick wall would look exactly the same.

That surprises me

Loading…

www.diynot.com

Though I can't see the damp patch in that pic. Has it dried out since you took the plaster off?

How old is the house?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Do you have a fireplace on the party wall?

What we have been able to eatablish so far...

The OPs fireplaces and chimney breast are on the opposite wall to the party wall with the damp problem.
The fireplaces pictured in the last photos were the neighbours side, taken with permission from the tennant.
The neighbours ground level is higher than the OPs by up to 10".
The neighbours fireplaces appear to blocked up without ventilation; on the chimney, there appears to be a gas flue cap and an open pot - historic or not, we don't know.

Though I can't see the damp patch in that pic. Has it dried out since you took the plaster off?

Anyways I removed the plaster of the walls and have been letting it dry out since

The photos below are ones I took yesterday and the dampness has got worse and not better that's after it drying out all summer we've had hardly any rain.

 

[RandomGrinch]

(Hopefully without being accused of cyber stalking), A Rightmove search brought up a 2021 listing for the next door property - the photos show a recent refurb, with no signs of damp, but every fireplace has been bricked up without ventilation.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

but every fireplace has been bricked up without ventilation.

Which will not be helping the damp issue, in either property.

 

[kellylucinda]

@Harry Bloomfield there's no fire place in my property, the fire place and chimney breast is in the house next door on the otherside of this wall.

 

[kellylucinda]

You do your research!! Ha

 

[kellylucinda]

That surprises me

Loading…

www.diynot.com

Though I can't see the damp patch in that pic. Has it dried out since you took the plaster off?

How old is the house?

I have re- attached the photos with date labels on them I realise it is confusing to others.
I believe the damp looks much worse today than it did in February when I took the plaster off.

 

[JohnD]

I still haven't seen a pic of the entire wall, end to end and floor to ceiling. It would be interesting to see how the damp patch corresponds to the dimensions of the neighbour's chimneybreast.

The patch stripped of plaster is about 8 feet wide.

It would be useful to know if the floor is concrete.

 

[kellylucinda]

(Hopefully without being accused of cyber stalking), A Rightmove search brought up a 2021 listing for the next door property - the photos show a recent refurb, with no signs of damp, but every fireplace has been bricked up without ventilation.

I have just looked at the Rightmove photos!https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-p...310ecd388af92ff7fd64d36ffaf4a0a5dadce3ef33d#/
Never seen them before. The house definitely didn't look like that today I have screen shotted the photo of the damp room and if you zoom in theres definitely a patch in the exact same place where I took photos of the damp today in the neighbours property. It looks like it was already there in 2021 when they house was sold.ill post both pics. Thanks

 

[JohnD]

If I was to guess that water is getting into the chimney, and collecting in rubble thrown into the bricked-up fireplace, which does not dry out because it is unventilated, and soaking into the wall and into the floor which is concrete, I would be willing to put a small wager on it.

I would want to look at the whole wall to see how far the damp spreads, and in what shape.

None of those faults would be corrected by silicone injections or replastering.

 

[kellylucinda]

If I was to guess that water is getting into the chimney, and collecting in rubble thrown into the bricked-up fireplace, which does not dry out because it is unventilated, and soaking into the wall and into the floor which is concrete, I would be willing to put a small wager on it.

I would want to look at the whole wall to see how far the damp spreads, and in what shape.

None of those faults would be corrected by silicone injections or replastering.

That's the whole wall in the photos below John
The door frame is at the left hand side of the right hand photo and you can see the corner of the room behind that chair. So the right hand side photo leads into the hall way where some more damp has appeared at the very bottom of the wall. It's covered by thick blue wallpaper so isn't showing up to well but I presume in a year it will be like this. It only goes about a foot into the hallway so far.
Thanks

 

[cdbe]

Ideally all needs stripping and properly tanking before a coat of waterproof render and skim. Good luck with finding someone to do that, it's incredibly simple but people seem to be incapable of the basic attention to detail to do it properly. You need to check the wall/floor junction as the tanking may need extending across the floor a bit.

This will stop your tenants suing you for disrepair. Afterwards you can waste your time arguing with slopey shouldered damp company - (who have no liability for next door's leaky chimney) or current slum landlord owner or incoming slum landlord owner or some disinterested person at the council.

Have you really had people living in that since February? I'm surprised you haven't been on the telly.

I've got one exactly the same, that stepping is a real issue for the lower property and chimney breasts are always trouble. Society's expectations regarding damp houses have risen massively in recent years and these old houses struggle without a bit of help, especially when many people rarely heat them now.

 

[JohnD]

That's the whole wall in the photos below John
The door frame is at the left hand side of the right hand photo and you can see the corner of the room behind that chair. So the right hand side photo leads into the hall way where some more damp has appeared at the very bottom of the wall. It's covered by thick blue wallpaper so isn't showing up to well but I presume in a year it will be like this. It only goes about a foot into the hallway so far.
Thanks

I expect the chimneybreast is about 4 feet wide. Can you mark its position on your wall please. Is there any corresponding pattern in the damp?

Is the floor concrete?

What height is the damp in the other room?

Where is the sink?