We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting straight up
to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The difference in levels is
about 4', so there's a fair bit of good soggy soil stuck right up against
the (unrendered) brickwork.

In the time we've been here, the side of the house has been hidden by
fairly thick shrubbery, but that's recently been removed, and they're
busy taking the remaining roots out.

So - I've had a little look, to see what that wall actually looks like.
And I don't much like it.

The damp-proofing between the earth and the brickwork seems to consist
solely of some sheets of slate. There was similar at the front of the
extension, behind render, and it seemed to be doing a great job of
holding water... in.

The inside of the wall's been hidden behind some very, very full
bookcases for a few years, but there was no sign of any damp penetrating
through before they went in. But, equally, there was no sign at the
front, either.

Here's some pics...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/...68d3a6e9_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/...a86ba1aa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/...268cd754_b.jpg

So - your thoughts?

Adrian gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

So - your thoughts?

I should add that they're planning on putting something there - fencing,
probably - so it's a bit now-or-never if something does need to be done.

There's also about 4 or 5 metres, round the corner, where the back of the
extension butts onto the side of another garden. So _please_ say "No,
it's fine"...

Adrian wrote:

So - your thoughts?

If you're planning to do something to improve damp proofing and you need
to do it quick and relatively cheap then I suggest having a look at
Delta mebranes products.

I'd give a URL for their site, but it appears that it has become host to
malware.

The Canadian site seems OK, so you could get an idea of the product
application the

http://www.deltams.com/

Adrian wrote:

We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting straight up
to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The difference in levels is
about 4', so there's a fair bit of good soggy soil stuck right up against
the (unrendered) brickwork.

In the time we've been here, the side of the house has been hidden by
fairly thick shrubbery, but that's recently been removed, and they're
busy taking the remaining roots out.

So - I've had a little look, to see what that wall actually looks like.
And I don't much like it.

The damp-proofing between the earth and the brickwork seems to consist
solely of some sheets of slate. There was similar at the front of the
extension, behind render, and it seemed to be doing a great job of
holding water... in.

The inside of the wall's been hidden behind some very, very full
bookcases for a few years, but there was no sign of any damp penetrating
through before they went in. But, equally, there was no sign at the
front, either.

Here's some pics...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/...68d3a6e9_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/...a86ba1aa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/...268cd754_b.jpg

So - your thoughts?


It looks like an ideal application for a French drain with a porous pipe
at the bottom, with the outflow from the pipe connected to the drainage
system.

Bruce wrote:
Adrian wrote:

We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting
straight up to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The
difference in levels is about 4', so there's a fair bit of good
soggy soil stuck right up against the (unrendered) brickwork.

In the time we've been here, the side of the house has been hidden by
fairly thick shrubbery, but that's recently been removed, and they're
busy taking the remaining roots out.

So - I've had a little look, to see what that wall actually looks
like. And I don't much like it.

The damp-proofing between the earth and the brickwork seems to
consist solely of some sheets of slate. There was similar at the
front of the extension, behind render, and it seemed to be doing a
great job of holding water... in.

The inside of the wall's been hidden behind some very, very full
bookcases for a few years, but there was no sign of any damp
penetrating through before they went in. But, equally, there was no
sign at the front, either.

Here's some pics...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/...68d3a6e9_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/...a86ba1aa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/...268cd754_b.jpg

So - your thoughts?


It looks like an ideal application for a French drain with a porous
pipe at the bottom, with the outflow from the pipe connected to the
drainage system.

Agreed Bruce - but if possible, ending the porous pipe in a soakaway pit (or
rat-trap soakaway chamber) some distance away may be preferable (and easier)
to having to build a 'solids' interceptor trap for the porous pipe before
the water goes into the main drainage system.


Big Grin

"Big Grin" wrote:
Bruce wrote:

It looks like an ideal application for a French drain with a porous
pipe at the bottom, with the outflow from the pipe connected to the
drainage system.

Agreed Bruce - but if possible, ending the porous pipe in a soakaway pit (or
rat-trap soakaway chamber) some distance away may be preferable (and easier)
to having to build a 'solids' interceptor trap for the porous pipe before
the water goes into the main drainage system.


Agreed.

On 22 Feb 2009 21:30:45 GMT, Adrian wrote:

So - your thoughts?

If it ain't broke don't fix it?

70's built so presumably a cavity wall, the outer leaf may be damp but
provided it's not getting through to the inside why worry?

--
Cheers
Dave.

Adrian wrote:
We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting straight up
to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The difference in levels is
about 4', so there's a fair bit of good soggy soil stuck right up against
the (unrendered) brickwork.

In the time we've been here, the side of the house has been hidden by
fairly thick shrubbery, but that's recently been removed, and they're
busy taking the remaining roots out.

So - I've had a little look, to see what that wall actually looks like.
And I don't much like it.

The damp-proofing between the earth and the brickwork seems to consist
solely of some sheets of slate. There was similar at the front of the
extension, behind render, and it seemed to be doing a great job of
holding water... in.

The inside of the wall's been hidden behind some very, very full
bookcases for a few years, but there was no sign of any damp penetrating
through before they went in. But, equally, there was no sign at the
front, either.

Here's some pics...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/...68d3a6e9_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/...a86ba1aa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/...268cd754_b.jpg

So - your thoughts?

bitumen... quick, easy, cheap, effective.


NT

"Dave Liquorice" gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

So - your thoughts?

If it ain't broke don't fix it?

I like that answer...

Bruce gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

It looks like an ideal application for a French drain with a porous pipe
at the bottom, with the outflow from the pipe connected to the drainage
system.

whimper

gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

bitumen... quick, easy, cheap, effective.

....and I like that answer...

So - get the earth away from the wall, clear the slate out, paint a good
thick coat of bitumen onto the brick, then earth back in and forget about
it?

Adrian wrote:
gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

bitumen... quick, easy, cheap, effective.

...and I like that answer...

So - get the earth away from the wall, clear the slate out, paint a
good thick coat of bitumen onto the brick, then earth back in and
forget about it?

No, a bit more work than that. Bitumen, yes. Then two rows of slate rather
than the single that seems to be in place at the moment. The slate will act
as a physical barrier to prevent spades, forks, etc. damaging the bitumen
seal.

Ideally, I would prefer the soil being removed from the wall down below the
DPC but I think you are trying to avoid this best option!

"Clot" gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

So - get the earth away from the wall, clear the slate out, paint a
good thick coat of bitumen onto the brick, then earth back in and
forget about it?

No, a bit more work than that. Bitumen, yes. Then two rows of slate
rather than the single that seems to be in place at the moment. The
slate will act as a physical barrier to prevent spades, forks, etc.
damaging the bitumen seal.

Ah, gotcha.

Ideally, I would prefer the soil being removed from the wall down below
the DPC but I think you are trying to avoid this best option!

Totally, permanently? My preference doesn't hugely come into it - the
house wall is _right_ on the boundary. The mortal remains of the old
fence is visible in the first pic...

On 22 Feb 2009 21:30:45 GMT, a certain chimpanzee, Adrian
randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting straight up
to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The difference in levels is
about 4', so there's a fair bit of good soggy soil stuck right up against
the (unrendered) brickwork.

In a properly-constructed extension where the floor level is below
ground, then it should have been constructed as a basement, with a
tanking membrane or waterproof render up the walls, to a cavity tray
above the external ground level, and linked to the membrane under the
floor. The only external sign would be weepholes in the mortar (but
not always). Do you know if you *haven't* got this?
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed"?

Hugo Nebula abuse@localhost gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Do you know if you *haven't* got this?

Not a clue.

Adrian wrote:
"Clot" gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

So - get the earth away from the wall, clear the slate out, paint a
good thick coat of bitumen onto the brick, then earth back in and
forget about it?

No, a bit more work than that. Bitumen, yes. Then two rows of slate
rather than the single that seems to be in place at the moment. The
slate will act as a physical barrier to prevent spades, forks, etc.
damaging the bitumen seal.

Ah, gotcha.

Ideally, I would prefer the soil being removed from the wall down
below the DPC but I think you are trying to avoid this best option!

Totally, permanently? My preference doesn't hugely come into it - the
house wall is _right_ on the boundary. The mortal remains of the old
fence is visible in the first pic...

Appreciated. It depends on how you get on with the neighbours!

"Clot" gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Ideally, I would prefer the soil being removed from the wall down
below the DPC but I think you are trying to avoid this best option!

Totally, permanently? My preference doesn't hugely come into it - the
house wall is _right_ on the boundary. The mortal remains of the old
fence is visible in the first pic...

Appreciated. It depends on how you get on with the neighbours!

Oh, they're lovely people - but suggesting appropriating more than an
inch or two of garden probably won't go down well...

On 22 Feb, 22:30, Adrian wrote:
We live on a hill, with one side of a '70s extension butting straight up
to the bottom end of a neighbour's garden. The difference in levels is
about 4', so there's a fair bit of good soggy soil stuck right up against
the (unrendered) brickwork.

In the time we've been here, the side of the house has been hidden by
fairly thick shrubbery, but that's recently been removed, and they're
busy taking the remaining roots out.

So - I've had a little look, to see what that wall actually looks like.
And I don't much like it.

The damp-proofing between the earth and the brickwork seems to consist
solely of some sheets of slate. There was similar at the front of the
extension, behind render, and it seemed to be doing a great job of
holding water... in.

The inside of the wall's been hidden behind some very, very full
bookcases for a few years, but there was no sign of any damp penetrating
through before they went in. But, equally, there was no sign at the
front, either.

Here's some pics...http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/...268cd754_b.jpg

So - your thoughts?

Dear Adrian
This is clearly an amateur job and the presence of slate is not a damp-
proof course or membrane any more than were you to cut up some
polythene sheets into A$ size and put them up in the same pattern
How would you feel about a sheet of bituthene with similar holes and
slits in it?
Most people have made a sensible suggestion as to what to do
Persoally, if it were mine and costs were to be considered I would opt
for both a land drain or even just fill the hole with pea shingle
together with either a render splatter dash (1:1 Sika No 1 times 2)
or simply a sheet of poly membrane to act as a physical barrier to
reduce the amount of transfer of damp
All should be done to 150 below the interal floor level
Chris