Nightmare House

[slayer]

Hi, This is my first post and I am after a bit of advice.

Bought a house built in 1973, before we bought it survey picked up damp. Got 2 different people in who said that it was caused by condensation. The remedy to knock off bottom of plaster as all walls were plastered to the floor.

Got money off the house to cover the works that were quoted and a bit more. Anyway after getting tore into it found the issue was a bit worse than we thought. Plasterboarded partition wall was soaked through and very soft. Timber that was holding it all up rotten. (damp guy came back and still said condensation)

Anyway the timber was below the level of the floor and there was a hole under the stairs that had not been concreted (all no DPC).. Got a mate in who is a builder and he said that it was not condensation and reckoned that the issue was caused building rubbish in the cavity, we removed a breeze block and yup there was about 5 inches of solid rubbish in there.

Hole under stairs filled, all breeze blocks removed in the room and cavities cleared, new ones fitted with a DPC. Trench in floor where partition wall stood filled in. Breeze block wall under stairs no DPC from original build. Built back up and DPC layed.

Anyway after all that the blocks have dried out, the wood is on a dry floor above floor level.

Before I go on.. the DPC under the floor is rubbish.. it is more like a polythene sheet builder reckoned about 600 - 800 guauge..

PROBLEM NOW

In the corner of the room the rubbish bit of sheet has about a 3" tear in it and it does not want to dry out at all. You can see the brickwork that the breeze blocks are on below it and it seems like there is a gap in there. I put a bit of plastic over it and after a couple of days had some wet droplets on it. Is there any way this can be fixed or is it break out the floor and lay a new DPC under it and would this mean having to remove breeze blocks again..

I would not be surprised if there is holes all over the rubbish DPC that they used, also from what it lookes like and the way the walls were built etc it is most definate that the last thing they done as layed the floors....

[stoneyboy]

slayer,
If I understand your post correctly you have a tear in your DPM and want to repair it. Buy some heavy duty double sided tape and stick a patch over the tear.
end

[slayer]

Hi Stoneyboy thanks for your reply, the problem with this is that one side has plenty of area to stick tape to but the one next to the wall has about 5mm to stick tape too if I am lucky :(

When the floor has been laid it looks like it has stretched the membrane and it has either or been damaged by another means.