i know this is a common problem or issues with old houses and i inspected one that had it at the back of the house and the bubbles are appearing on the paints in difference sections of the house. what are the ways to go about fixing this? cost? different methods?
Google "how to fix rising damp". Typical result: http://antidamp.com.au/rising_damp.php Cost can be as high as $250 per lineal meter depending on ease of access.
Often the most important thing is to find out what is causing it. sometimes it's a downpipe discharging onto the ground next to a wall, or a garden bed against a wall, or no airflow under the house. Those things are all easy fixes and worth trying, As Prop said, if you have to put in a damp course it's expensive.
Seems to be 2 schools of thought - kind of similar to the cracking walls due to subsidence. 1. Patch everything up and waterproof within an inch of it's life (after fixing water problem as much as possible). 2. Remove bricks and allow to breathe. Remove cement paths adjoining the building. Remove mould and any render to allow more brick surface. Clean and clean and let breathe. Replace bricks and include lots of ventilation. My guess is it would probably be best to do both. Definitely work with someone with experience who incorporates #2 in one way or another. With subsiding corners of houses, some say to eliminate all water flow and concrete the surrounds. Others say to leave it bare and plant a few water holding plants there. Again, probably a combo of all this works best.
What type of construction is it? What age? How much ventilation?Under the house, check roof and guttering , leaves can cause all that! Any trees a bit too close to the gutters? Neighbours trees? If you have damp courses, are the vents nearby blocked? First task would be a good old fashioned clean, any outside drains, sweep paths, Do you have a blocked down pipe? nothing like a good pouring of drano, or washing soda and a few buckets of warm water! ( Ok its a bit too cold for that, but you get the idea!) Post some pictures, and I will be happy to give you some inexpensive solutions. Us old house owners are a tough breed! I hope this helps
thanks for the replies all! its a house im inspecting and we had no access to the subfloor. yet to get a report from the building inspector but he said that its because of the position and sloping of the house with a higher courtyard at the back. i will come back once i get the report. hopefully sometime today.
got the report and seems like theres a lot of remedial sealing work done on the roof! belows the report from the inspection regarding the damp. Lateral damp is occurring through the external walls into the dining room below chimney. A roof plumber should be called to check all flashings. The external wall surfaces will need to be resealed with a waterproof membrane to prevent further moisture seepage. A waterproofing specialist should be consulted to carry out this repair. Lateral damp/moisture seepage was found to the walls in the rear living room. These rooms have been built below ground level and waterproofing has failed. Excavation and re-sealing the external surface of the walls will be required to prevent further moisture entry and damage to walls. Rising damp was noted to various areas – all rear areas and kitchen; rear living room; and dining room. An adequate damp course will need to be installed to prevent further rising damp damage. A rising damp specialist should be contracted to carry out this work. Furniture should be removed to carry out a complete inspection of all walls. Further rising damp may be concealed behind furniture and stored goods. thoughts guys? :|
