Hi,

I've been looking round houses to buy, and one in particular I'm
interested in. It's a 1930s terrace, and is in general need of
refurbishment and decoration. However, when looking around the place I
noticed that the wall paper on some of the walls was bulging in places.
Pealing the paper back revealed a gritty white/grey power where the
plaster was crumbling. Does anyone know what the cause of this is, and
whether the walls need replastering or more major work?

The problem seems to occur on all the outside walls of the back of the
house, all the other inner and outer walls are fine. So I'd suspect damp
as the cause. But I can't see any evidence of damp anywhere. No patches
on the wallpaper, the paper is still stuck to the bits that aren't
powdery, no signs of mould, or green inside or out. So, could it be
something else?

Any suggestions appreciated,
-Duncan