leaky 60's concrete prefab shop

[Steve]

hi. i was wondering if anyone could shed any light on this problem . . .

the shop i am working at is a 60's prefab place, with concrete floors, roofs, stairs, walls, you get the picture.

we recently had roofers out to fix several nasty leaks in the warehouse roof. While they were out, i asked them to fix a leak above the stairs (next to the back door, there is a bit of tiled sloping roof to make headroom above the steps). They said there was nothing they could do without lifting the paving slabs, at which point it would become very expensive. How will this bit have been built? Is there felt under the slabs?

There is a plywood wall below here, next to the steps, which is all warped and mouldy at the bottom due to years of water coming down. So i wasn't happy with his verdict about the slabs. There is no provision for drainage from the paving slabs either - water just runs off the edge and down the walls.

Also, you will note the downstairs back area is underground. When it rains, we end up with puddles on the floor!! The walls are damp, and the paint peels off when you touch it. Is this normal for a building of this type of this age in this situation? Or is this a particularly bad example of 60's prefabs? can it be fixed?

 

[greengrass]

If the shop has been extended then it could be an illegal one ie not conforming to building regs:

Without looking at the site I would say the builders are right that the slabs have to come up. The damp on the basement wall is most likely penetrating from the ground and IF the wall was sealed then it now time for a damp specialist to treat the wall. Unfortunately you have a problem which has no cheap way of solving.