Turning existing block shed into office/workshop - damp

[Wayno99]

I have an existing block shed at the end of my garden that I am hoping to turn into an office / workshop for my wife.

It is single layer of block and the roof is slate at the moment.

Currently just used for storage / tools / motorbike so never paid much attention to it's condition before, but whenever I have left paper in there it has seemed slightly damp when I have come back to it a few week later (motorbike manual).

I have now clearered it ahead of starting to sort it out and noticed some damp, just wondering if anyone would know what has caused it and how to deal with it as I would like to cover the walls with boards or something that will hopefully add some insulation as it's currently freezing down there.

I haven't really got much to spend on this so hoping to do as much myself as possible.

The shed backs straight against retaining wall as the garden / house behind is about two metres higher than mine.

It looks like there is damp proofing there but just not sure what to do next really.

Any advise would be much appreciated - some of the photos seem to have lost there colour, can re do them if it would help.

 

[Newboy]

How big is the building and what sort of budget do you have?

 

[Wayno99]

The shed is approx 3 metres deep by 3.5 metres wide

At the highest point it is 2.4 metres and at the shortest it is 2.2 metres

I haven't really set a budget, as i figured it will cost what it costs and it will just have to take longer if it starts getting expensive.

 

[JohnD]

It can probably be fixed.

you say block built. Is it fairly modern?

Is the outside rendered or painted? Lightweight blocks are water-absorbent so rain will soak in. Can you see a DPC?

Is the roof felted? You say slates so presumably it has a good pitch, and has guttering and downpipes. Does the downpipe go to a drain?

If it is modern, there is a chance the floor has a dpm. If not it will always wick damp out of the ground. Put a piece of plastic on the floor, after a week, look and see if there is a damp patch where water has come up. Sometimes in a shed you will see a plastic sheet poking up round the edges of the floor.

The retaining wall is bound to be wet.

Does it have electricity?

 

[Wayno99]

It was already built when I bought the house about 18 months ago, but I am fairly certain it was built at the same time as the extension to our house, so only a few year ago.

Outside is rendered and then painted.

Yes there is a DPC - I think it can be seen on some of the photos I uploaded.

It looks like there is a DPC running between the retaining wall and the bloks for the back wall of the shed aswell.

The roof has a layer of slate, then felt under that and has guttering and a down pipe, which doesn't go to a drain but does dean away to the garden a get feet away and that side of the shed seems to be fairly dry. The slope of the roof is not idea from slate (I know that from the survey we got for the house) but so far it hasn't leeked. This hasn't bothered me before now as it hasn't had much of a use and no one has been spending a lot of time on there.

There is electricity but only enough to run a few sockets at present - will be getting more power run out there as need more for a glass fusing kiln that will be in there eventually and I have already had someone look at this as I wanted that all signed off properly, the rest of the work I am hoping to do myself if possible but haven't much experience to get started and I want to do it as best I can.