Mould in porch - suggestions welcomed.

[Brigadier]

Advice on how to proceed appreciated.

Single-leaf block porch, rendered outside, wet plastered in.
UPVC double-glazed door, and windows.
Wood floor.
Open to hall, but not heated in itself.

As the walls are constantly cold, it is a continual battle to keep mould at bay.
We are careful to minimise moisture in remainder of the house.

We can't currently have porch knocked down.
We can't have trickle vents installed.
We aren't going to have it heated (was heated before, but made no difference).

My thoughts on reasonable ways forward are:

- knock off plaster, then replace with insulated plaster board (will be warmer, but perhaps still not enough, so mould may still grow);
- tile ( still be cold, but mould won't grow on them);
- knock off plaster, batten, insulate, and use plastic cladding or similar (might be warmer, and mould won't grow as easily).

Due to location, only have about three inches of thickness to play with.


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Untitled

• Brigadier
• 1 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• Brigadier
• 1 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• Brigadier
• 1 Feb 2015
• 1

 

[JohnD]

Walls are half-brick so will be cold.

you say it is open to house, but unheated.

So warm moist air from the rest of the house can freely enter, and then cause condensation on the cold surfaces.

If you fitted a door to keep the moist air out, you could then ventilate it without chilling the house.

 

[Brigadier]

I did consider that at first John, but the porch is pretty small (to the point that the front door would impinge on any additional door fitted to its inner aspect.
Plus, that second door would impinge on the foot of the stairs......

I suppose that, restrictions considered, I am accepting cold surfaces as a given, and looking for the least worst way to deal with them.

The more I think of that sodding porch, the more I think of that Irish truism:

"You want to know the way to Dublin? I wouldn't start from here, if I was going to Dublin....."