Newly refurbed room - damp patches

[dal3001]

If you post my latest request for pics it might get worse - the thing is, its useless to give easy, soft advice.
The basic thing in all remedial damp work is to find the cause, and then fix it.
The good news is the flashings are re-useable and the roof & basic structure should be OK.
The floor tiles might be fine depending on the pics & does the slab have a DPM (membrane) under the concrete?

The pics raise Q's ref the main house floors & walls but come back to that when your ready.

Here'a a couple more pics showing the door wall lower down. Have asked my neighbour for a pic of his side, didn't just want to wave my phone over the fence as it looks into their kitchen on the other side of that fence haha.

I'm not opposed to having to go back to masonry to sort it out. I assume I can leave the other walls untouched? This is a utility room and the other side has a sink, the boiler, washing machine and a few cabinets fitted now. It'd be a right pain to have to shift all that... It's probably going to have to be done in stages anyway because the outlay to get all this done incorrectly means I won't be able to pay for a fix in one go. Might even have to DIY a few bits if possible. At least it's summer, which is usually less damp...

Also not sure about the DPM under the concrete, they did pour some new though because they chased the old slab to put some pipework in for the sink etc...

 

[tell80]

What the last two pics show is a very bad build - it borders on nonsense for anyone to do that & expect it to work so to speak.
All external render to parapet & both front & side walls would need to come off.
The final coat over the render looks like a slurry of some kind - sand and cement? Its failing.
The render should have been stopped with a BellCast 50mm min above ground.
Your front lower wall, and the abutting wall on the right (the kitchen?) appear to be composed of rubble & stones?
The door step/sill doesn't have a threshold & water will enter under the door.
The block of wood, fwiw, will soon rot out - so will the door frame.

I dont know the condition of the other walls inside the utility room or the kitchen - I haven't seen them.
Any DPM edges should be revealed if you remove a length of skirting.

 

[dal3001]

I don't have a picture but I think the kitchen wall is relatively normal looking brick, at least from outside. I think part of the external wall that's been rendered was reconstructed from blocks but I can't find a picture.

I managed to dig out some pictures of it when it was stripped out, not sure how helpful they are really. This thing was basically a lean-to that the old owners were using as a kitchen but whatever they had in place there was probably about 30 years old and hadn't completely rotted into nothing.

Anyway, at this point I'm considering knocking the house down and pitching a tent in the garden instead.

 

[robinbanks]

rising damp

What?

 

[Nige F]

Anyway, at this point I'm considering knocking the house down and pitching a tent in the garden instead.

Don't worry , tell will tell you what to do so to speak

 

[dal3001]

Don't worry , tell will tell you what to do so to speak

I can't tell if you're being serious or not haha.

Either way I think I'll have to live with it for now if there really are that many issues. Probably just won't bother decorating it.

In terms of suggestion that maybe the house is made of rubble hahq, it's had a building survey, drainage survey and full reports from 2 structural engineers in the last 6 months and it's been deemed decent enough. So it's not all match sticks and chewing gum.

 

[Nige F]

Tell is the prophet of doom, bless him.

 

[tell80]

OP,
You've been given free professional advice - its advice based merely on what I see.
What you intend to do, or not do, with your property is none of my business.
What you show in this thread is beyond "match sticks and bubble gum".


Anyway, look at the pic in your post #16 - look at either side of the soil pipe at the base of both wall/yard abutments - the base area on both walls shows a composition of rubble & stones.
I made no suggestion that "the house is made of rubble".
My observations were confined to the "utility room" area - I purposely mentioned that "I hadn't seen" any further into your house.

 

[tell80]

robinbanks,
The diynot Mystic Meg has left the building so perhaps you would explain what your remark means?

 

[dal3001]

OP,
You've been given free professional advice - its advice based merely on what I see.
What you intend to do, or not do, with your property is none of my business.
What you show in this thread is beyond "match sticks and bubble gum".


Anyway, look at the pic in your post #16 - look at either side of the soil pipe at the base of both wall/yard abutments - the base area on both walls shows a composition of rubble & stones.
I made no suggestion that "the house is made of rubble".
My observations were confined to the "utility room" area - I purposely mentioned that "I hadn't seen" any further into your house.

I do appreciate your input, it's just it isn't practical or actionable right now really.

Besides, it wasn't me who took the **** - seems you've got a rep round here maybe...

Anyway, let's just put a pin it - I do get it, you think it's bad and it needs lots of stuff fixing. Likelihood is that I'll get someone to have a look at it at some point. I'll get someone to check out the rubble walls as well at the same time.