My first time with a Victorian house... and it's damp...

Is this a 9" solid brick wall with no cavity?

Anyhoo, I doubt that tanking will stop that damp, so really I think you need to cut a slice into that pavement around 6" from the house wall and dig that trench out to expose the wall to below internal floor level.

Then you can look at DPCs and tanking and stuff - but I wouldn't personally be happy as it is.

As for the ground being sopping wet - what do you mean? Is this the soil level under the floorboards? If so, how far below - how much gap is there under your floor, is it very well ventilated and are there any current signs of rot?

It is not unusual for the ground under the floor to be damp, 'cos that's what ground is like. As long as there's a good WELL VENTILATED void, it is usually ok.

 

Need air vents front & back under floor to allow good ventilation to flow through.

Councils aren't too happy having peeps taking slices out of their pavements DA, plus you need to watch out for gas pipe.

Got a photo of outside view of the front.

 

As Kiab says you need some air bricks to vent the floor.

A number of potential causes to the damp

If there was a cupboard over the gas meter that could have been causing condensation on the metal pipes of the gas meter.

Piling up of debris under the floor joists, there needs to be around 150mm of gap underneath and the ground should be reasonably dry - not dusty and not wet to the touch.

Is the hole drilled for the aerial cable to the outside sealed properly ? Rain water will happily run down the wall and follow the cable

And the usual suspect is a leaking downpipe/ gutter

BTW I would get the gas supply checked - most inbound services should be changed from metal to a plastic equivalent. Shouldn't be a cost to yourself to have this changed

 

To add to that, if the cable comes down the wall, then there should be a drip loop. It's where the cable takes a 'U' shape just before entering the wall. No matter how much sealant is applied water running down a cable will find a way into the brickwork unless it is forced to fall before.

It might look unsightly, but had a very important purpose.

A 'roman nose cover' is also a good idea, although not required.

 

Hi, had the same sort of issue when council put a pavement along my pine end wall, went through all manner of advice --damp course tanking etc but one old guy gave me a solution that has worked for me, along the pavement where it joins the house I had to install iron vents that were used many years ago in these sort of houses, a suitable stone was removed and then the vent installed and cemented in place, I needed 4 in total and cost around £60 each, inside the house before render and plaster was applied a air brick block about 9 inch square was installed along the wall again 4 were used these were around £20 each the plaster was brought around the internal vent then a white plastic vent put on top to make it look better than just the brick you could also use an aluminium one if preferred, it took a few weeks to dry right out but is now ok, it seems these houses do not like cement finishes both sides of the wall they need to let moisture out

 

If your house is stone, then it needs to breath,which why you use lime mortar/render,lime plaster which is flexible & breathable allowing moisture to escape.

You could fit cast iron air bricks at front,which are below floor level, if you can sort pavement problem.

https://www.vintagedoorknobs.co.uk/...le-air-brick&gclid=CNTbzr6antICFaMK0wod69IKfQ

 

Got a photo of outside view of the front, can understand your problem easier, might have a better solution.

 

I would dig out the ground in that corner and remove it.

You can get what are called periscope vents. These can go up as high on the wall outside as you like.

 

Not difficult,luckily you got the floor up, so you have good access.

Can chain drill around brick outside to make it easier to remove, inside might be a bit more work involve, depends which way joists run.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/telescopic-underfloor-vent-black-220mm-x-215mm/12025?kpid=12025



https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...nt.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGzcSIvsuSdCy-lqvMYOiA95nOBYQ

 

Hi Just picked up thread again just to let you know my outside cast vents are about 9inches higher than my inside vents along my pine end as my walls are stone and black mortar and are just over 18 inches thick, the periscope vents do work but usually are most suitable for venting underfloor with brick outside as stone build is not so uniform you might have to take out rather a large hole to get it to fit, we also live on a hill but my pine end is on one level and the front runs down steeply we just run the outside cast vents along pavement edge outside and just followed the floor level inside with the brick type vents they do not match up but it allows the wall to breathe and we no longer have any issues with damp, we did try mortar plaster finish first but it still was getting damp and black out of the mortar kept coming through, it was then we fitted the vents outside and inside into the walls, the walls were then cement rendered and plaster finished, the outside again cement finished and spared.
Inside has been papered and painted and all is well no more black mould showing through or damp

 

Where that drainpipe is your damp patch other side of wall!

Drainpipe has seperated allowing wall to get soaked, THAT is the cause of your damp problem.

I would fit air bricks in end wall through black gate, easier as joists are running that way, than front of house & joist tight against front wall.

 

Yep, just as I was typing and is that a ginnel (alley) down the side of the house as well ?

 

I know what a ginnel is, same as a twitten.

 

If you look at the picture the staining is your clue - the downpipe and the foot need sorting. If you look at the moss outside you door and your neighbours - there is none along your wall until you come to the joint in the pavement - rainwater has been washing it away.

Also if you look at the picture. You ca see where someone has removed the air vent and put a brick in - fairly recently

 

Spot on there re-install air brick sort out leaking drain pipe and run a small fillet of cement with proofer in along the edge of the tar pavement where it meets the bricks to stop any water seeping down behind the join, inside will be fine with new render but I would still put a brick vent below floor level to vent void