spectrum48k

I live in old cottage (1890's) which I've owned for the last 5 years.

The downstairs bedrooms are at the front of the house where the walls are constructed from large blocks of stone.

Over that time I've noticed small amounts of mould building up in the back of wardrobes. The wardrobes back onto these external walls.

I've also noticed that a section of wallpaper in one of the stonecolumns, up to 2 foot from the floor is warping.

I'm just about to telephne around builders, etc.., asking for advice, so can the Scoobynet fountain of knowledge give me an idications as to my next move ?

Whats my best solution to stop this ? I've heard there's a technique based around injecting a damp proffing material into the stone?

wakeboardar

there is a method but you have to get it done by an approved contractor for the 25 year warranty you need if you sell the house

ben44

Agree with the above. A friends firm does this. What area are you in?

Sometimes its possible to correct the problem otherways. Ocasionally its due to people building patios up to high against the damp proof. Might be cheaper to remove the INSIDE row of paving and place it on plastic pegs which will allow the water to drain.

If you have no damp course at all then only deal with a contractor that will provide a 25 year warranty. Check the warranty provider out beforehand

spectrum48k

great stuff, thanks lads.

Ben, I'm in the Tyne Valley, 15 miles outside of Newcastle.

mart360

if you place things close to a wall and no air can circulate,, you often get the mould symptoms occuring...


if you have the silicone injection method, its straight forward..... but..


now i dont know if its been improved since i had it done... but basically they strip the plaster indooors back to brick about 3 ft up the wall and then drill holes in the brickwork and then inject the dpc substance.. takes about 1/2 day + to do... you have to vacate for a few hours fumes.... ans then you have to leave the wall to dry out before you can replaster... about 2-3 wks

job done

mart

fast bloke

you are going to need some special injector to blow the stuff into stone - It is usually used for brick or block - drill in half brick depth, put the injector in, seal it, turn it on and wait for the fluid to start seeping from the brick. Stone used in buildings isn't usually that porous and is usually substantially deeper than three or four inches

C_B_B

All of the companies i've used over the years have been members of this

http://www.bwpda.co.uk/

Not had a problem with any of them.

spectrum48k

Thanks,

Would I be right in thinking there's a website you can check to see if the builder you'd like to use is approved / recommended ?

CBB. I'll check that link too.

r32

I wasnt sure you got damp through stone, but it does hold the heat/cold, may be that you need to allow some air to circulate through the wardrobes.

jasey

I would check out the "Moving the wardrobe" route before getting a possibly expensive building job done too.

We were in a rented house a year ago (I think it was lath & plaster - certainly not stone built) and the spare bedroom had a damp problem behind the wardrobe - nowhere else .

ben44

Ah, Can't recommend anyone up there I'm afraid! If it you had of been in Essex....

andy97

iTrader: (1)

The only company to use is Peter ***. This company has been recommended to me by different surveyors from different parts of the country, they are highly respected in the industry. Dont use a local damp proof contractor (guarantee is not worth the paper it is written on- been there done that)