Limestone external underground wall

[Poppy2024]

Hi,
We’ve have an old stone house, the interior walls have been lime plastered. We have noticed that damp is still coming through one external wall which is between 1ft to 2ft underground. The neighbouring farm gets huge pools of water during the winter. What would be the best course of action for our wall, should be tank or dig down and repoint in lime? Would repointing be enough? Thank you for any advice.

 

[JohnD]

Trench outside the wall below floor level and find out where the water is coming from and its height. If there is no other solution you can later lay a French Drain in the trench and lead the water to lower ground or a soakaway or pond.

Common sources are rainwater downpipes, broken drains, leaking pipes, and paving which has been incorrectly laid sloping towards the house. About one time in a hundred thousand there is a spring or stream supplying the water. Sometimes water is running down a hill towards the house.

What is the height of the outside ground compared to the floor? What do you think it was when the house was built?

 

[Poppy2024]

Thanks John! We can’t see any leaks coming from any pipes and laid a French Drain last year, the soil is heavy clay. It is the side of the house which has a slopping path and drops down to around 2ft underground. The other side of our small garden is a field which gets very wet. The house was built around 1870’s. We’ve managed to eradicate most of the damp coming in, apart from this one wall.

 

[JohnD]

Thanks John! We can’t see any leaks coming from any pipes

They may be leaking in the ground.

This is quite common, and almost universal with old clay drains and gullies.

If ground level is higher than the floor, it will be wet. You can reduce the earth against the wall by digging a trench.

 

[Mike13]

you need to fix the "between 1-2ft underground part, the damp should slowly go away on its own then. Lime mortar being softer and flowing more than gypsum usually does not crack off.