Hi
Apologies in advance for the lengthy post - I wonder if you can all help
We bought a 1930s bungalow approx. 2 years ago and early this year noticed clothes were becoming mouldy and that there was a fousty/damp smell in the spare bedroom
We decided to strip the walls and lift the carpet to see if we could identify the source
When we stripped the walls high levels of moisture were detected with a damp meter in one corner of the room (exterior wall) - we have since replaced loose roof pointing and filled some holes in the exterior of the house and the readings in the walls have come down
We found that there is a patch of floorboard (approx. 4 boards wide by 50cm) which is significantly darker than the rest and on days when we have heavy rain this darkens further. When tested with a damp meter there is evidence of significant moisture in this section of floor. Despite the roofing repairs and use of a dehumidifier this patch remains and is driving me nuts!
We have an external tap located on the wall near where the floorboards are darker and initially thought this was the cause, however, upon inspection of the solum there is no evidence of water ingress and the area underneath the house is dry
The only other thing we can think of is that mono-block driveway is the cause. The drive slopes downwards towards the corner of the house where the damp flooring is and the previous owner has laid chips/stones between the mono block and the house. We have lifted the stones and it seems that the during spells of rain (which in the West of Scotland is a frequent occurrence!!!!!) water is pooling in this corner against the house - does anyone think that this could this be the source of the problem?
If so, does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this without digging up the driveway? Having previously lived in a flat we are at a loss as to what to do and don't really know where to start
Cheers
Rachel
