information wanted......

[Buzzytruk]

Hi everyone ......... Sorry I haven't been around as much as I was . The past four years have

been one huge problem after another ....After the last 8 months my kitchen is now in working order,......and my sink and cooker back in place., Along with two usable bathrooms......

I though I had another leaking water pipe in the hall as the work was finishing , it appears it is

rising damp.........The cause could be an old cistern in the rear garden .

There are no obvious pipes feeding this tank ,so it must be coming from surface rainwater......

What I need to ask is .......how is this water getting into the property ? .......

How do you stop it ,is it a .dig out or a fill in ... Since I lost Jim its difficult coping with such

things .......my family are a distance away, and builders thirteen years ago when we

rebuilt and extended never found anything. This place is about three hundred plus years old.

I plan to call in a surveyor ,it would just be nice to know & what to expect,and perhaps a country lad or lass might just have some knowledge

thank you .

Jo...☺️

ps........am only a few yards from a river.......

[sassy59]

Sounds like a surveyor would be a good idea Jo. Sorry I haven’t a clue but hope things are sorted soon. You've been through so much. Always good to hear from you. Take care xxxx💕🤗

[Buzzytruk in reply to sassy59]

Hello there ,I was hoping someone somewhere had had some knowledge of these things

Tomorrow I will ring a surveyor who was here in spring of last year .2021

He drew up the plans for replacement of the retaining garden wall that had

been rebuilt the year before , in 2020. and was in danger of collapse..through shoddy workmanship...... Won't say why it needed rebuilding in the first place

. I was banned from that part of the garden....Honestly if I put the last four years on paper ....no one would believe me. It's as good as a " carry on " !!!

I can but hope ,. I do like to have as much information as possible.

My dad always said my middle name was Thomas ......!

Trusting all is well with you

Take care 💐

Jo..😊

[sassy59 in reply to Buzzytruk]

Good luck to you Jo. Hopefully someone can help. Wishing you well. We’re ok thank you. Plodding on.

Love Carole xxx💜🥰

[Chip_y2kuk]

I'm not a country lad or lass... but my limited knowledge of rising damp is

The water gets soaked into the bricks and then quite literally "rises up" from under ground and soaks through the walls... using any means necessary

You don't happen to have a failed/bridged damp proof do you? .... in old places they where slate in new places they are plastic

[Damon1864 Volunteer]

I think you are doing the right thing getting a surveyor to have a look especially with the house being that old. Have a good night and take care 😊 Bernadette and Jack 🐕 xxxxxx 🌻🌻

[peege]

Oh dear I really feel for Buzzytruk, it's pretty tough being on your own & having to deal with a very old home. I watch George Clark's Remarkable Renovations & last episode the old building was in shocking state. Is your house listed? That would make everything even more difficult and expensive. I sympathise, my house is 200 years old, I've been on my own for many years so I've learnt by now there ain't no one going to rescue me but myself. Over the years I've learnt to do much welding of a sledge hammer, clearing moss off the roof tiles amongst other things. Can't now, it's just too much so I pay for help, it's all good right now so selling up before something else falls off!

I've renovated several older properties over the years - though none as old as yours - I imagine your damp issues have something to do with the proximity of the river, water running near or under the house draining towards the river or simply rising damp. Contacting the Borough Surveyor is a good start, s/he'll at least recommend who you could get for advice for your very old home.

Wishing you all the best with it ×××

[Buzzytruk in reply to peege]

Hello there ,. Thank you for your reply , It's nice to be in contact with someone in a similar situation. property wise .............it's amazing what we girls can manage to sort out ......This place is not listed , the council missed it ......it was the first one in this road and history

shows it was the home of the local eel catcher. It was built around end of 1600/to early 1700........The second one to be built did not escape the gaze of the local council.

Stone from the local priory at 1/- shilling a cart load plus bricks built this cottage ......

I have chatted with my surveyor. (Wrong sort ) and he has given me various pieces of advice so it's now onwards and upwards .......hopefully I will find someone old enough to have

come across this type of water cistern before .........

Keep your fingers crossed for me .......

Bye for now ......

Jo.......☺️

[peege in reply to Buzzytruk]

A great start Buzzy and yes, everything crossed for you . Let me know how you get on wont you.Caroline Quendon did some property programs on renovations of very old properties, I found them fascinating (I'm adidcted). There were problems like yours. I'll have a delve to see what they're called & let you know.

I've had one or two homes that had stone flags or quarry tiles set directly on the earth which of course need to 'breath', anything left on floors would get mouldy, for ie shoes 🙄. We had to dig them out, dig down, tons of hard-core, membrane, concrete then slabs/tiles put back down. Your home sounds really interesting. P

[Lutontown]

Modern houses, probably for 90 or a hundred years, have been built with a damp course. I seem to remember seeing a method whereby silicone was seeped into the lowest stone or brick course. This waterproofed the walls, stopping damp from percolating upwards. Probably not cheap, but is anything.

[Buzzytruk in reply to Lutontown]

Hi ,......this old cottage section had two injected DPC within 35 years ......The leak is inside ,coming through the hall floor.

It's possible this now internal hall wall was part of an old bathroom once.

One way or another digging down is perhaps the only answer ......

Jo. ☺️

[Lutontown in reply to Buzzytruk]

Ok, looks like you've thoroughly investigated the problem. Just beware, damp can cause black mould. I had 18 chest infections in 2017. In March 2018, black mould was found covering our bathroom floor, which was replaced, hopefully eradicating the mould. Since then, no chest infections.

[Buzzytruk in reply to Lutontown]

Hi ,. Yes I was aware of the dangers of black mould , when the stud wall in the kitchen came down and we could see what had happened .......not only was the stud wall soaked but so was my 16inch thick stone and brick gable end........The damage was a result of a leaking roof tile fitted to the kitchen extractor.

I did go and see the gp as I'd had problems a few months earlier .

I saw a GP trainee. Very nice young man who told me it wasn't dangerous.& Go away.

I insisted on both blood and sputum sent to the lab for culture and sensitivity.

He was cross ,. But I got my way ...... Came back clear ,thank goodness.

All that mould is long gone .......thank goodness

Jo. ☺️