I have a water problem with my house but i'm not sure what the cause is. What happens is that during medium/heavy rain, water drips in through the edge of the ceiling nearest the window in the downstairs room.
The window of the downstairs room was installed in the last 3 months, and has been re-checked for leaks, however this problem was happening before changing the window (i thought the old window was the likely cause of the leak, but it hasn't really improved things - luckily the window was due for replacement so i dont feel bad about spending the money on it anyway).
Here are some pictures.
http://www.kranica.com/pic1.jpg
http://www.kranica.com/pic2.jpg
When it rains, especially when it rains heavily, the gutter leaks onto the brickwork of the wall above the window. This covers a large area of the wall (maybe 1m square) as the wind blows the dripping water onto different parts of the wall. It has been suggested that i have the guttering replaced to sort this (i'm currently waiting to receive a quote).
The inside of the upstairs wall above the downstairs window does not feel cold or damp, so i suspect the water is seeping down the wall cavity on the inner side of the outside wall, or down through the bricks themselves, maybe? (do houses of this age have wall cavities? it was built around 1903)
I'm wondering if changing the gutter will solve the problems or what else it could be? I am against coating the wall with any waterproofing treatment (or paint) as i understand that soft red brick such as this is meant to absorb a little water, and then dry out, and by waterproofing it then any water which does end up getting in would never dry out, causing bigger problems in the long run. The pointing is about 4-5 years old and looks to be good with no missing bits, cracked pieces etc.
What 'trade' would be best able to advise me about what needs doing to rectify the water issues here? If anyone can recommend a company which covers the Manchester area (M12 postcode) then that would be great as i'd rather go with a reputable company than pick a random firm and see what happens...
At the end of the day i just want it sorting, before the wet time of year starts (did it ever stop?!), and before it causing serious damage to the property.
