Looking for a bit of help with my outbuilding conversion project. I've got a 3m x 2.5m block building that I'm converting to an office. I've stripped the place out and added a new window and was about to begin my work on insulating the floor and walls until I noticed my floor wall joint is leaking water in. It's only recently happened after the heavy rain but I obviously want it sorted before doing any work on the floor. The wall abuts next doors outbuilding and the water is coming through the joint along the whole length of the wall. I was planning on laying a DPM along the floor and part way up the walls but assuming the water ingress will need sorting first? Any ideas what product I could use to sort the problem? I've been looking at fillet seals but not sure if they are the right option? I'm a bit of a novice at this so any help would be much appreciated!
I think a photo(s) would help us to understand the exact issue, especially what's happening outside that wall. As I'm sure you suspect, the best solution to to stop the water coming through from the outside, rather than isolating it once it's come through. If access to the outside is really impossible, then a possible solution is to 'simply' raise the level of the inside concrete floor to above that of the outside. I think.
When you say a abuts next door, I assume there is a gap but its to small to get in to, if this is the case, does this gap continue up to an opening at roof level allowing rain to fall between the walls, if so finding a way to cover the gap may be all that's needed, this will obviously be beneficial to you neighbour as well, so you shouldn't have any problem convincing them to allow you to do it.
Sorry, should have attached photos earlier but was in work. The wall is attached to next door but Im not sure if there is any way the water could leak down between the wall and as the picture shows, its quite difficult to see. Raising the floor level is also difficult as the room doesn't have a huge amount of available height as it is. By the time I add insulation and flooring to the concrete slab and boards to the roof I'm going to be a bit tight on space. Hopefully the pictures will show the problem a bit better than my explanation, and hopefully help determine the way to fix it. Cheers
Are you on good terms with your neighbour? If so it might be an idea to see if his floor is wet as well. I presume that the DPC is one block above the floor.
Yes we are on pretty decent terms, he's away at the minute but hoping to catch up with him on the weekend to check how his floor looks. It appears the dpc is actually level with the concrete floor.
Any chance of photos showing the outside at ground level - how the two sheds 'join'? Clearly, as said above, the best solution is to stop the water getting to that area from the outside. If that isn't possible, the next best would be to try and stop the water coming through to the inside.
What happens to the water on the lowest perspex flat roof in the bottom pic? it looks as if it just 'falls' against the building wall and if so, could this be the source of the water collecting at the base of that wall and then coming through?
I'm away a few days with work but will try and get a picture up showing the join between the two on the weekend. If stopping the water on the outside isn't an option (and I'll keep trying that first) what would my options be for stopping it on the inside? Would I need to use something like a fillet seal or similar tanking product?
Where the lowest metal roof ends is an internal gutter which flows into next doors drains. I've checked it from the roof and it appears to be doing its job correctly. The end of the black metal roof has gutters too which appear I'm good condition. I've installed new gutters at the rear of my GRP roof which has solved a previous issue of water coming through the blocks at the rear.
Your roof looks like fairly new fibreglass. Did you have this done or was it there when you bought the property? You might have expected the roofer to point out any potential problem if there is a void between the properties at the back and not at the front. Is the land level at the rear (or nearest camera) of the properties? There is obviously a lot of water coming in because the rain was presumably prolonged and heavy. If it was light or moderate it would have run down the corrugations of the adjacent lower roof. It looks to me that it has saturated the ground beneath the join of the wall and the floor indicating that there is not much underneath them and there is probably a pool of water behind the wall. Sorry if I have covered points raised by other members.
Yes it is a new Fibreglass roof. Replaced the corrugated roof like next door. Roofer didn't mention anything about a void. The land at the rear slopes back towards the front of the outbuilding - although the roof slopes in the opposite direction. Yes your correct, the rain only appeared after the recent heavy rain we had, up until then there was nothing. We have had heavier downpours though since the roof has been done and I've never seen the floor get this damp.
Goldie, I have to confess I don't understand - from your photos - which building is yours, which wall is affected, etc. The 'new' roof is yours? The two corrugated roofs - whose are these? Where is this building with the damp? Which wall is it?
Sorry for any confusion, I've obviously not explained myself so I'll try again The picture showing the roofs shows mine and my next door neighbours outbuilding. The corrugated roofs are my neighbours. My outbuilding is covered by the New fibreglass roof (on the left). The roof covers the whole of the outbuilding (which includes a store, outside w/c and then the shed/workshop (that I'm converting and where the damp is). The wall that's affected is the wall that is attached to the Neighbours outbuilding in the shed/workshop (wall shown as 3.0m on the office plan). Hope the plan explains things a little better. Thanks for not giving up on me (yet)
The plan helps and if I have understood it correctly it is a shared wall running down your garden below the joint with your new roof and the neighbours perspex. It is still important to confirm if there is only one shared wall or two with a gap between? Do you have a pic of the exit or end elevation showing the actual single wall or twin walls where they end in your gardens, this would give further idea on ground levels involved. If only one wall and with your new roof It seems unlikely to me that water is running down the other side of the wall from roof level then coming through the floor joint without the neighbour noticing. I would be exploring two things, the first is to establish if any water is running down the neighbours walls and collecting his side of the wall and if so where is it coming from and how can that be stopped. The second, and the one I think it might be if there is two walls, is there any water running along and parallel to your wall at ground level on the neighbours side and if so, how is it getting in, and can this be diverted. I am still suspicious of the internal guttering you mention in post 10, could it be that some water is leaking at your side and running along the wall base rather than falling to the drains on his side?
Quick update. Thanks to everyone for the advice so far. Had a good look at the Neighbours roof on the weekend and think we have found the problem. The water is coming through from his side. There are a number of causes, first the gutter was so blocked in places that water was flowing over the gutter, under the sheets and over the felt. There are also a number of sheets that are allowing the water to flow underneath them and onto the felt. The build up of water has meant the felt has failed in numerous places and water is pouring into next doors outbuildings! This water is then flowing back towards my wall, causing it come through at the floor wall junction. Looks like it's not too bad a job to solve but all involves work to next door so hopefully can get it sorted soon. Thanks again for the advice. Will be back soon for more when I actually start insulating and fitting it out.
Well done for finding the probably cause. Shame you have to rely on a neighb to help sort it - it usually just complicates matters... Fingers crossed, tho'. Keep us posted as to how you get on with the project
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