Hi everyone,
I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify the possible cause of the damp patches in the photos below? I've just moved into a circa 1900 house and our survey picked up that there was a small area of damp on the walls in the photo and suggested to get a quote from a specialist contractor. We did this and they said it is rising damp and that the walls should be treated with a chemical damp cause. We didn't notice the damp patches looking anything like as obvious as this when we viewed the house. It has been raining a lot here today.
After doing some research, it seems that damp higher than 1m is unlikely to be rising damp, therefore, where is the patch half way up the wall coming from? The previous owners have informed us that they had work done to the chimney flashing and pointing recently (which looks to be in good condition as far as I can tell) so I'm assuming it can't be coming from the stack?
The other factor is that on the other side of the wall is a block paved path with a soak away type drain alongside the damp wall which is filled with pebbles. Yesterday I noticed that this is sitting higher than the damp course so I removed the pebbles (which were covered in sand and mud) and removed the sand and mud as I thought this may be bridging the damp course.
I think that although it isn't obvious in the picture, the damp also extends onto the wall behind the door. This feels wet to the touch but there isn't any stain.
Thanks for your help,
James
