Definitely need more James, miss his building vids so good to see him back. Lots of other issues on that frontage also, cables fired through with no seals by the looks, no real overhang above the bottom bay window, wonder how well that window is actually sealed. Is cutting a channel infront of that bay an option or is it straight on the pavement?
Hello Roger and James. Not much love has gone into that job has it! The brickwork itself looks poor to say the least. I have no end of enquiries here in Brighton regarding damp ingress. More often than not it comes down to condensation through lack of insulation. The Bungaroosh walls we have here cause problems also. Recently we used a hose pipe to check for ingress and found the new UPVC windows hadn’t been sealed up properly externally. Lack of care/craftsmanship I say. Dave Howells.
My recurring thought was that the house was originally built with a flat front and the bay was added some time after the initial construction. If that is the case then the whole thing was probably misguided and as many posters here have said, the bay exterior needs to be separated from the concrete apron (the pavement?) and some kind of French drain installed. Even 30mm gravel filled would do as long as it extended down past the brickwork of the bay. Be nice to seal the bay brickwork before filling the drain but might not be essential. It would dry out naturally. Digging out a drain would allow access to the facade of the bay and permit a physical, not chemical, dpc to be installed. Shame about the flooring, it will need to be replaced but other than that, reinstating the inner render before redecorating and replacing the skirting would be sufficient. And it should be possible for people like James to make a good living here in the UK. There's something wrong with our economy that says he can't.
I've bought and worked on a few homes in Brighton, all mid-1800s, slapped up to house the railways workers and the like, or multi-occupied families. Many had bungaroosh walls made of pebbles, broken bricks, lumps of chalk and so on, bonded with lime mortar. Always single skinned and often with floors resting on the dirt. But they had lime plaster and with quicklime mortar they were able to breathe. The worst damp comes when ventilation is blocked off by draught proofing and new double-glazed windows, central heating fitted, walls painted with modern non-breathable paint. The damp gets locked in. Especially if Portland cement plaster and render is used in recent times.
Maybe I'm obsessed with tea & cakes, but just looking at that brickwork I keep thinking more Brooke Bond than stretcher bond, and the mortar is slapped on more like vanilla frosting on a spongecake than pointing on brickwork. As there's no downpipe from the guttering on the house facade (it probably shares one with the house nextdoor), maybe the gutter's blocked, and there's a rainwater flow straight down the external front walls. I say this as I've never seen such wet internal walls! Also, in a seaside location, wouldn't lime mortar be drawing more moisture into the building's internal layers rather than expelling it?
I would basically start again on that bay, digging down and re-engineering the barrier to street/ high pavement+ engineering courses and and and …keep wood away from touching the walls and plastered internals too probably . And what’s wrong with a nice wooden window and decent sill too? Brightons posh innit these days
Last time I saw a set of metal grills in the floor like that, it was growing up in my childhood home which was built with Air central heating. Literally warm air would come out instead of having radiators. I wondered with that damp, maybe cut away the cement on the outside of the wall so is a gap going down to prevent moisture creep as part of the solutions. Being careful you don't undermine the foundation of course.. lol
I lived for a short time, (thankfully) in a council house with electric warm air central heating, ducted into each room. It was awful: when the heating came on you were warm... for a few minutes. Then when it reached 20c it knocked off and you were chilly again within a couple of minutes. It cycled like that constantly - on off, on... a nightmare.
@@chunkymonkey55555 my 1970s house had good old dangerous asbestos gas flue warm central heating :) i liked it , but was scary lighting its pilot light , was like the boiler in home alone
I have a similar issue but not as bad as that. Mines probably more due to condensation. The outside of my bay window is bare brick and not rendered which I painted with stormgaurd. Still getting mold on inside wall but wondering if it is due to the wrong paint? rubberised not allowing wall to breathe. Again the path outside is very high and the damp course is almost level with the path debating whether to dig up and make a soak away. Keep up the good work Roger.
I'd rebuild lower bay as a narrow cavity wall. Inner leaf with dpc below inner floor boards and another dpc just above floor level that created a weep vented cavity tray with the outside. French drain or aco's outside. EWI internally, foamed on. Breathable paint
I think I would take down all the “brickwork”. Rebuild Class B below damp (150 above outside ground) build Softer brick above with lime rich muck. Any render in vapour permeable render, same for window reveals. Dry line inside on treated battens fixed with foam to brickwork and using insulated backed plasterboard. Keep the exterior vents for the underfloor void.
I think you got everything there. James mentioned the cold bridging at the end. I dont understand why the builder was so stumped by this. In particular the Dpc level not being correct, 2 courses above ground is basic stuff. Well done.
Portland cement on lime, the big damp patch on the inside to the right of the window corresponds to a smearing of cement on the outside knock the gobbo off and replace with lime, stud the bay out with plastic timber and then finish the bay with cement board.
First need to look underfloor for cross ventilation with joists on a dpc. Second lower outside either with an Aico or a 20cm by 20cm channel. Third is replace bay window wall with class b engineering brick with lapped in dpc. Then give it 3 to 6 months to dry off.
That looks like the Hanover area in Brighton. Solid wall 2 bricks thick, quite a lot have air bricks through the wall for old fire places as the floors are on the dirt, Poets Corner area in Hove is the same. Typical of Brighton and Hove terraced housing with the Bays, many of them have had the Bays removed and replaced with flat fronts over the years because of the issue.
Plastering to the floor is a definite NO-NO! ... At Least a 3" gap from bottom of plaster to the floor is needed for houses this age ... Just ONE of the problems sorted ... Plus a bit of Diggage on the outside for Dutch Drain ....
Unfortunately it’s the council’s pathway so there’s not a great deal that can be done other than putting a barrier against the brick work below the damp and then reinstating the path. You may get away with a 30-40mm shingle fill without anyone causing a fuss.
In the mid eighties renovating some old houses in the middle of Mitchams Corner in Cambridge for the universities student accommodation people and once the plaster was stripped off the internal wall, every single internal wall was built out of all the old brick bat's, no staggering for any type of bond, just laid one on top of the other. The houses were late Georgian and obviously the motto of the day must have been "waste not, want not". If anyone did that today they would get slaughtered, not there though as they were all listed buildings so they had to stay as they were, just replastered. Mind you the walls were 200 years old, and had survived 2 world wars.
first point of call as said ground level needs to be sorted with DPC being at correct height. then all that old render needs stripping and fixing, any cracks will be letting in water and water will travel mainly down but can go up with capillary action. the single skin can be fixed with insulation board or some sort of backing insulation and plaster board over top (if you want a cheaper option) but imo its a mix of DPC being breached from being too close to the street and absolutely shocking render.
I was just about to say that I hardly dare issue instructions or even make suggestions ro our builder lol. He's an old guy who looks more like a fisherman and quite sensitive, in our village there's not many options should you upset a tradesman!
Hi skill builder I want to paint a double garage inside walls white to lighten it up Etc it’s single course brick . What PAINT WOULD RECOMMEND As do not want to create an issue with moisture it’s walls all clear on all sides Ps near the coast 1 mile from beach Thanks in advance
Could that air brick be for a gas boiler / fire? Reason I ask is our old council house had a 4 bar gas fire and also a gas boiler behind it of all places.. for heating the radiators and immersion. That bloody plastic vent below our front window was like an ice air waterfall in winter which you'd feel drifting by your feet even with the fire on. I would sellotape it up and every year the gas check guy would take it off knowing we'd put it right back on lol. Anyway housing trusts came in and they fit a new Valiant boiler elsewhere. No one ever looked or took the sellotape off the vent again.
I think you're probably prevent the damp getting up you need to dig down outside the wall probably 14"deep then paint it with a bitumen water-based substitute stuff you would do for repairing your roof, three coats probably and have it about 4 or 5 inches across and fill it with shingle. something the homeowner can do themselves and is very cheap you can buy it from Wickes comes in a grey 5 L tin about 8£ I think it's a rubber type solution. could be how the house is sitting is it low lying the ground is constantly wet?? what type of soil it's got? I would do that it's a weekend job or even a day job and see if it improves. you can see the outside brick seem to be very dark in colour and on the inside wet, so somewhere it's getting moisture. the engineering bricks should have been put in if they haven't can't really tell but if they are too low and the damp proof course is too high. another way is to put wide damp proof course in and stick it with the bitumen substitute down the side of the wall on the outside say about 14 16 in and chasing it in at the course work above just above ground level, do that anyway with the bitumen substitute do the course above the paving, dry is in less than 30 minutes in normal condition fully cures in about 12 hours. why is there a piece of wood there anyway! I thought that was just temporary! another thing is how is the Windows set into the brickwork can't really see it needs to be at least an inch set back and that could cause problems with damp if it's level with the brickwork . I think the wood is not causing a problem the damp is not actually showing where the wood is more to the right just do what I suggested give it 4 or 5 months you shouldn't notice a difference, if it's worked, go past the window as well do the whole front there up to the door. another thing they should have put a waterproof barrier on the inside of the whole wall under the window and either side. because it's single skinned water is going to penetrate through driving rain. and that's plaster you need a gap it should have a membrane and then 2x2 inch batten and then plasterboard and then plastered. how was it originally rendered outside it probably was done with a non-breathable cement at some stage probably what aggravated the problem nowhere for the moisture to go but in not evaporate. use a water-based bitumen never oil based sealants water will always want to penetrate through oil and will find its way through micro pause.
If the outside ground level is higher than the inside floor level and it's a suspended timber floor... what condition are the joist ends in? That's what I'd be worrying about.
It’s likely that the ends of the joists don’t touch the outside walls. They’re probably sat on sleeper walls and any park of the joist should be 2” away from the brick work but having said that it would be very interesting to see what’s going on under there.
Hi Roger i love your vids and I am in the throws of changing my rads and was wondering if you could advise me what is the better rad a Stelrad or a Krad or a centre rad from Wolsley thanks Stuart.
To be honest I have never found any real difference between them. I suppose it would be best to buy the heavier one if there is such a thing, but I usually just make sure the system is clean and chuck in some inhibitor. The worst thing for rotting them is soldering flux so, provided the system is well flushed out and you add the inhibitor you should be fine.
Not a builder so I dont know the names of things etc....looking at the larger exterior picture there is a large gap on the top of bay window on the left hand side. If rain is running down the render and back into the frame and down the left hand side then that would marry up with the damp areas on the inside
I wouldn’t recommend it with the internal floor being lower than the external. Dig down, put a new foundation in and build a block cavity wall, only way to guarantee the job is done properly.
Has anyone got James’ contact details… Would love to discuss an extension with him if possible 🙏🏻 Happy for Roger and the rest of the Skill Builder team to film there too if they would like 😊
@@alstonofalltrades3142 yeah, I saw that too! I hope the people responsible put their socks on backwards and it’s really uncomfortable for them! 😡 I was hoping that given his presence back on the channel that he may consider giving it another go 🙏🏻 Happy to supply some of the tools if needed… James hit me up! 🤝🏻
If a 5kw+ log burner was installed they'd fit an air vent to the room, can't think of any other good reason why. Looking at what a bodge it all is it's more likely to be a mistake though.
In the past you didn't. It's changed over time though due to the air tightness of modern and modernised buildings. Ref: "HETAS building regulations on log burner ventilation" webpage.
@@GotMoreCakes I've just installed my own. I'm not hetas but had to get inspected by building control. I did lots of research to make sure I did things by the book and anything under 5kw didn't need an air vent, along with other stipulation. If the draw from the fire is too much, it may create negative pressure pulling the smoke back into the house. Don't know how this works though as if I wacked a load of pine on either type I can't see how it would make much difference. The fire box size between my 9kw and a 5kw is similar.
It’s possible the person who cobbled the bricks together may have been blind but seriously they may have pushed debris down inside underneath the floor blocking air flow under the floor behind the bricks and wicking ground moisture back up
Can the Outside ground level be lowered to enable the dampproof course to be dropped a couple of courses. The Outside path could have been laid high as the installer did not want to remove the spoil little thinking of the consequences.
adding my comments to others, get off your 21st century boxes ! yes to a dpc it doesn't need to be perfect as mentioned slate would be perfect, the wall on either side of the bay is very permeable brickwork with lime mortar. the modern bricks and hard portland mortar are behaving completely differently their moisture contents and thermal values are different and will will result the damp issues . i would rebuild the new brickwork if possible in 9inch with lime mortar render and plaster. If this is too expensive / too radical for the plaster etc. try just re plastering limelite it is as easy as gypsom to use and works. The vents are probably counterproductive block them up and see if it helps. lastly and probably most importantly get over a bit of fuzz on the bottom of walls if you live in a house of this age, lime wash rather than modern emulsions and touch up as required.
Exactly. they're trying to fix something with 21st century methods when its a traditionally built property the focus should always be breathability. This is the reason these properties have problems. If you don't understand older properties just stick to extensions and new builds.
@@Mao.Loves.Zedongthe focus was put on breathability when this was re built and they went to great lengths to ensure the correct lime render and lime plaster was used. They’ve even used an external breathable paint but the main issue is that the damp course is just too low. If it is installed at the correct height then they wouldn’t be having the issues that they are. I proposed modern methods up to dpc and then traditional above. There’s nothing wrong with mixing modern and traditional methods, it happens all the time and if done correctly and sympathetically to the original it works extremely well.
Always frog up, it needs to be filled with mortar as it’s an integral part of a walls loading and strength. Often you will find walls that have the majority of the frogs down and this will usually be on older council properties and large developments where the brickies are trying to speed things up and use less mortar but they always laid a few courses with the frog up usually when there was an inspector coming 😂
@@jimichip I agree, the bricks on a local village primary school playground wall were layed frog down, after a few weeks it fell over, could have killed children, the brickies excuse, "The children had picked out some of the mortar". They used LBC's so as you know these have ridiculously large frogs. I'm supprised there are no regs covering this.
@@abbersj2935if they were a properly trained bricklayer then they should’ve known that the frogs should face up. Also if the kids were able to pick out some of the mortar then the mix was likely too weak. Something the ‘Brickie’ should have also known.
Basically; you've got rising damp AND penetrating damp, so the way around this is to rebuild a cavity wall with a dpc underneath the window & ventilate the cavity. It's not rocket science.
The ground outside was built up so the air bricks are redundant, damp gets through the bridged dpc, and no ventilation for the the suspended floor. Fundamental stuff that the builder has completely missed. Love the April Fools about James being in Barbados!
Cant have an old building with modern materials. The mortar needs to be soft lime mortar too otherwise the interior plaster can't breathe. But the bay should have been two bricks too.
add chemical DPC and double coat outside with some type of water sealant. Get accurate indoor humidity readings - dry off inside with mobile dehumidifier. Assess results
I hate to say it but the solution might be to remove the bay entirely, depending on what the drainage situation is like outside. Just saw the outside pics - we're stuck with a bay! Builder is playing dumb, or is incompetent.
Here's a riddle to bring some levity to the old-school SB viewers (answer below) - Q - Who sits on a telephone wire talking about damp?? A - Roger Buzby
I've got to say I'm kind of dissapointed this got no traction at all. It's a great piece of low-grade humour in the traditional 'dad joke' style I think.
I'll second that - though using at least 2 parts of the sand content as washed sharp, and including a salt inhibitor such as Rendermix or similar. All this 'breathable' b/s is irrelevant: when that house was 'built' (I use the term in its broadest possible sense, given the type of construction) all houses had open fires, draughty wooden doors and sash windows ... Ventilation, or lack of it, wasn't an issue. The only problem with sand and cement render is its poor thermal insulation, and having cured the damp ingress, you may end up with condensation issues - once again aggravated by the lack of ventilation.
@@johnriggs4929 Yes, you can buy a strong cement based solution that you just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue. I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
@@johnriggs4929 Yes, can buy a strong cement based solution that is just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue.
@@johnriggs4929 Yes, can buy a strong cement based product that is just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue. I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
@@johnriggs4929 Yes, can buy a strong cement based product that is just painted on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t a problem. I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
A builder with an engineering background will have a better knowledge than a guy who woke up one day and called himself a builder. No barriers to stop anyone from setting up a building firm. This is why a lot of these issues occur. 😒
Need urgent assistance with very similar problem. Brick walls to the side of the bay also soaked. I have underfloor access and can show you more possibilities which would relate to this problem. Your advice will be gold and it may also assist on this case. Please let me know how I can contact you.
james top bloke , we need him back on SB
Fabulous idea to involve James in this type of problem solving. He has the experience and can give valuable input.
James is such a top bloke, why is he leaving the building trade?
We need more people like him not less!!
Definitely need more James, miss his building vids so good to see him back.
Lots of other issues on that frontage also, cables fired through with no seals by the looks, no real overhang above the bottom bay window, wonder how well that window is actually sealed.
Is cutting a channel infront of that bay an option or is it straight on the pavement?
The dream team back together. Nice to see. I'd rather be were James is. Rather than a green wall.👍👍
Shocking work
Always nice to see James.
Hello Roger and James. Not much love has gone into that job has it! The brickwork itself looks poor to say the least. I have no end of enquiries here in Brighton regarding damp ingress. More often than not it comes down to condensation through lack of insulation. The Bungaroosh walls we have here cause problems also. Recently we used a hose pipe to check for ingress and found the new UPVC windows hadn’t been sealed up properly externally. Lack of care/craftsmanship I say. Dave Howells.
My recurring thought was that the house was originally built with a flat front and the bay was added some time after the initial construction. If that is the case then the whole thing was probably misguided and as many posters here have said, the bay exterior needs to be separated from the concrete apron (the pavement?) and some kind of French drain installed. Even 30mm gravel filled would do as long as it extended down past the brickwork of the bay. Be nice to seal the bay brickwork before filling the drain but might not be essential. It would dry out naturally. Digging out a drain would allow access to the facade of the bay and permit a physical, not chemical, dpc to be installed. Shame about the flooring, it will need to be replaced but other than that, reinstating the inner render before redecorating and replacing the skirting would be sufficient. And it should be possible for people like James to make a good living here in the UK. There's something wrong with our economy that says he can't.
I've bought and worked on a few homes in Brighton, all mid-1800s, slapped up to house the railways workers and the like, or multi-occupied families. Many had bungaroosh walls made of pebbles, broken bricks, lumps of chalk and so on, bonded with lime mortar. Always single skinned and often with floors resting on the dirt. But they had lime plaster and with quicklime mortar they were able to breathe. The worst damp comes when ventilation is blocked off by draught proofing and new double-glazed windows, central heating fitted, walls painted with modern non-breathable paint. The damp gets locked in. Especially if Portland cement plaster and render is used in recent times.
Add a French drain to the outside as well.
Great video guys, very much enjoyed.
Needs to be a follow up
Maybe I'm obsessed with tea & cakes, but just looking at that brickwork I keep thinking more Brooke Bond than stretcher bond, and the mortar is slapped on more like vanilla frosting on a spongecake than pointing on brickwork. As there's no downpipe from the guttering on the house facade (it probably shares one with the house nextdoor), maybe the gutter's blocked, and there's a rainwater flow straight down the external front walls. I say this as I've never seen such wet internal walls! Also, in a seaside location, wouldn't lime mortar be drawing more moisture into the building's internal layers rather than expelling it?
I would basically start again on that bay, digging down and re-engineering the barrier to street/ high pavement+ engineering courses and and and …keep wood away from touching the walls and plastered internals too probably . And what’s wrong with a nice wooden window and decent sill too? Brightons posh innit these days
Last time I saw a set of metal grills in the floor like that, it was growing up in my childhood home which was built with Air central heating. Literally warm air would come out instead of having radiators. I wondered with that damp, maybe cut away the cement on the outside of the wall so is a gap going down to prevent moisture creep as part of the solutions. Being careful you don't undermine the foundation of course.. lol
That’s exactly what I thought the grills were for heating. These were common in the 70s
I lived for a short time, (thankfully) in a council house with electric warm air central heating, ducted into each room. It was awful: when the heating came on you were warm... for a few minutes. Then when it reached 20c it knocked off and you were chilly again within a couple of minutes. It cycled like that constantly - on off, on... a nightmare.
@@johnriggs4929 My dad used to refuse to put it on where we lived, because he said it was too expensive! lol
@@chunkymonkey55555 my 1970s house had good old dangerous asbestos gas flue warm central heating :) i liked it , but was scary lighting its pilot light , was like the boiler in home alone
@@girlsdrinkfeck Now you mention it, I remember ours having an issue where the pilot light kept going out! Ahh Happy memories!
I have a similar issue but not as bad as that. Mines probably more due to condensation. The outside of my bay window is bare brick and not rendered which I painted with stormgaurd. Still getting mold on inside wall but wondering if it is due to the wrong paint? rubberised not allowing wall to breathe. Again the path outside is very high and the damp course is almost level with the path debating whether to dig up and make a soak away. Keep up the good work Roger.
I'd rebuild lower bay as a narrow cavity wall. Inner leaf with dpc below inner floor boards and another dpc just above floor level that created a weep vented cavity tray with the outside. French drain or aco's outside. EWI internally, foamed on. Breathable paint
I think I would take down all the “brickwork”. Rebuild Class B below damp (150 above outside ground) build Softer brick above with lime rich muck. Any render in vapour permeable render, same for window reveals. Dry line inside on treated battens fixed with foam to brickwork and using insulated backed plasterboard. Keep the exterior vents for the underfloor void.
Hello James
I think you got everything there. James mentioned the cold bridging at the end. I dont understand why the builder was so stumped by this. In particular the Dpc level not being correct, 2 courses above ground is basic stuff. Well done.
Portland cement on lime, the big damp patch on the inside to the right of the window corresponds to a smearing of cement on the outside knock the gobbo off and replace with lime, stud the bay out with plastic timber and then finish the bay with cement board.
First need to look underfloor for cross ventilation with joists on a dpc. Second lower outside either with an Aico or a 20cm by 20cm channel. Third is replace bay window wall with class b engineering brick with lapped in dpc. Then give it 3 to 6 months to dry off.
That looks like the Hanover area in Brighton. Solid wall 2 bricks thick, quite a lot have air bricks through the wall for old fire places as the floors are on the dirt, Poets Corner area in Hove is the same. Typical of Brighton and Hove terraced housing with the Bays, many of them have had the Bays removed and replaced with flat fronts over the years because of the issue.
Nice to see you in the Shrewsbury Arms tonight
Needs a gravel channel in front of the house the outside pavement is to high. Id cut a 5 inch channel, dig down and fill it with gravel.
Then what? That is only of use if you can channel the water away to... somewhere.
@@kiwigrunt330 the water will soak into the ground below
Pretty sure the airbrick should be below the internal floor🤔- you could use a telescopic one for that suspended floor.
theres a lovely hand ,and a damp patch has appeared ! ooh err
James! Star.
Plastering to the floor is a definite NO-NO! ... At Least a 3" gap from bottom of plaster to the floor is needed for houses this age ... Just ONE of the problems sorted ... Plus a bit of Diggage on the outside for Dutch Drain ....
Unfortunately it’s the council’s pathway so there’s not a great deal that can be done other than putting a barrier against the brick work below the damp and then reinstating the path. You may get away with a 30-40mm shingle fill without anyone causing a fuss.
In the mid eighties renovating some old houses in the middle of Mitchams Corner in Cambridge for the universities student accommodation people and once the plaster was stripped off the internal wall, every single internal wall was built out of all the old brick bat's, no staggering for any type of bond, just laid one on top of the other. The houses were late Georgian and obviously the motto of the day must have been "waste not, want not". If anyone did that today they would get slaughtered, not there though as they were all listed buildings so they had to stay as they were, just replastered. Mind you the walls were 200 years old, and had survived 2 world wars.
first point of call as said ground level needs to be sorted with DPC being at correct height. then all that old render needs stripping and fixing, any cracks will be letting in water and water will travel mainly down but can go up with capillary action. the single skin can be fixed with insulation board or some sort of backing insulation and plaster board over top (if you want a cheaper option) but imo its a mix of DPC being breached from being too close to the street and absolutely shocking render.
I was just about to say that I hardly dare issue instructions or even make suggestions ro our builder lol. He's an old guy who looks more like a fisherman and quite sensitive, in our village there's not many options should you upset a tradesman!
Hi skill builder I want to paint a double garage inside walls white to lighten it up
Etc it’s single course brick .
What PAINT WOULD RECOMMEND
As do not want to create an issue with moisture it’s walls all clear on all sides
Ps near the coast 1 mile from beach
Thanks in advance
Could that air brick be for a gas boiler / fire?
Reason I ask is our old council house had a 4 bar gas fire and also a gas boiler behind it of all places.. for heating the radiators and immersion. That bloody plastic vent below our front window was like an ice air waterfall in winter which you'd feel drifting by your feet even with the fire on. I would sellotape it up and every year the gas check guy would take it off knowing we'd put it right back on lol.
Anyway housing trusts came in and they fit a new Valiant boiler elsewhere. No one ever looked or took the sellotape off the vent again.
I think you're probably prevent the damp getting up you need to dig down outside the wall probably 14"deep then paint it with a bitumen water-based substitute stuff you would do for repairing your roof, three coats probably and have it about 4 or 5 inches across and fill it with shingle. something the homeowner can do themselves and is very cheap you can buy it from Wickes comes in a grey 5 L tin about 8£ I think it's a rubber type solution. could be how the house is sitting is it low lying the ground is constantly wet?? what type of soil it's got? I would do that it's a weekend job or even a day job and see if it improves. you can see the outside brick seem to be very dark in colour and on the inside wet, so somewhere it's getting moisture. the engineering bricks should have been put in if they haven't can't really tell but if they are too low and the damp proof course is too high. another way is to put wide damp proof course in and stick it with the bitumen substitute down the side of the wall on the outside say about 14 16 in and chasing it in at the course work above just above ground level, do that anyway with the bitumen substitute do the course above the paving, dry is in less than 30 minutes in normal condition fully cures in about 12 hours.
why is there a piece of wood there anyway! I thought that was just temporary!
another thing is how is the Windows set into the brickwork can't really see it needs to be at least an inch set back and that could cause problems with damp if it's level with the brickwork .
I think the wood is not causing a problem the damp is not actually showing where the wood is more to the right just do what I suggested give it 4 or 5 months you shouldn't notice a difference, if it's worked, go past the window as well do the whole front there up to the door.
another thing they should have put a waterproof barrier on the inside of the whole wall under the window and either side. because it's single skinned water is going to penetrate through driving rain. and that's plaster you need a gap it should have a membrane and then 2x2 inch batten and then plasterboard and then plastered. how was it originally rendered outside it probably was done with a non-breathable cement at some stage probably what aggravated the problem nowhere for the moisture to go but in not evaporate.
use a water-based bitumen never oil based sealants water will always want to penetrate through oil and will find its way through micro pause.
If the outside ground level is higher than the inside floor level and it's a suspended timber floor... what condition are the joist ends in? That's what I'd be worrying about.
It’s likely that the ends of the joists don’t touch the outside walls. They’re probably sat on sleeper walls and any park of the joist should be 2” away from the brick work but having said that it would be very interesting to see what’s going on under there.
14:10 Can’t believe you’re talking about putting a skirting board back onto that single skin wall.
#CowBoyBuilders
Please explain what you mean
@@planb1853
It needs an internal wall building to create a cavity. Anything else will not solve the issue and lead to problems.
Hi Roger i love your vids and I am in the throws of changing my rads and was wondering if you could advise me what is the better rad a Stelrad or a Krad or a centre rad from Wolsley thanks Stuart.
To be honest I have never found any real difference between them. I suppose it would be best to buy the heavier one if there is such a thing, but I usually just make sure the system is clean and chuck in some inhibitor. The worst thing for rotting them is soldering flux so, provided the system is well flushed out and you add the inhibitor you should be fine.
Bring James back 🙂
Video idea: Hi, can you get roger to do a review on the reco heat stove heat exchange unit. Would love to know his opinion on it.
Is that a bonding coat on the right because that will suck in moisture on a solid wall no matter how thick that wall is
Not a builder so I dont know the names of things etc....looking at the larger exterior picture there is a large gap on the top of bay window on the left hand side. If rain is running down the render and back into the frame and down the left hand side then that would marry up with the damp areas on the inside
Good point. It would be worth firing a hose up there
Can do a metal frame system in gypliner, they have specs for upgrading walls this way
I wouldn’t recommend it with the internal floor being lower than the external. Dig down, put a new foundation in and build a block cavity wall, only way to guarantee the job is done properly.
Has anyone got James’ contact details… Would love to discuss an extension with him if possible 🙏🏻
Happy for Roger and the rest of the Skill Builder team to film there too if they would like 😊
I can't say what he would do but based on other videos he left the industry to work with a company. Plus some sod/s knicked his building tools.
@@alstonofalltrades3142 yeah, I saw that too! I hope the people responsible put their socks on backwards and it’s really uncomfortable for them! 😡
I was hoping that given his presence back on the channel that he may consider giving it another go 🙏🏻
Happy to supply some of the tools if needed… James hit me up! 🤝🏻
ua-cam.com/video/6ShNM0YiJMk/v-deo.html
On the first video there's a 4in rendered internal window cill so there must have been an internal skin of some sort and no cavity.
They’ll have to continue the internal skin to create a cavity wall. They’ll likely have to dig down and put a foundation in for it.
If a 5kw+ log burner was installed they'd fit an air vent to the room, can't think of any other good reason why. Looking at what a bodge it all is it's more likely to be a mistake though.
Pretty sure with a 5kw you don’t need an air vent.
In the past you didn't. It's changed over time though due to the air tightness of modern and modernised buildings.
Ref: "HETAS building regulations on log burner ventilation" webpage.
@@GotMoreCakes I've just installed my own. I'm not hetas but had to get inspected by building control. I did lots of research to make sure I did things by the book and anything under 5kw didn't need an air vent, along with other stipulation.
If the draw from the fire is too much, it may create negative pressure pulling the smoke back into the house.
Don't know how this works though as if I wacked a load of pine on either type I can't see how it would make much difference. The fire box size between my 9kw and a 5kw is similar.
It’s possible the person who cobbled the bricks together may have been blind but seriously they may have pushed debris down inside underneath the floor blocking air flow under the floor behind the bricks and wicking ground moisture back up
It’s a single skin wall I.E No cavity wall, it’s always going to be damp. 0:27
10:18 nah, there’s half inch lip on the back of cells, water won’t get over that.
But there is nothing stopping it running sideways to the wall where the damp patch is.
@@mikebarry229
Maybe but that’s the least of their problems.
Can the Outside ground level be lowered to enable the dampproof course to be dropped a couple of courses.
The Outside path could have been laid high as the installer did not want to remove the spoil little thinking of the consequences.
That's probably a council pavement that has been laid with no regard to the building needs, perhaps donkey's years ago.
Bungaroosh they call it in Brighton those walls
Ah! yes I remember that now. Basically crap
Now ring a damp specialist and they’ll inject a damp course and render the internal just to try to block it rather than fix it long term
adding my comments to others, get off your 21st century boxes ! yes to a dpc it doesn't need to be perfect as mentioned slate would be perfect, the wall on either side of the bay is very permeable brickwork with lime mortar. the modern bricks and hard portland mortar are behaving completely differently their moisture contents and thermal values are different and will will result the damp issues . i would rebuild the new brickwork if possible in 9inch with lime mortar render and plaster. If this is too expensive / too radical for the plaster etc. try just re plastering limelite it is as easy as gypsom to use and works. The vents are probably counterproductive block them up and see if it helps. lastly and probably most importantly get over a bit of fuzz on the bottom of walls if you live in a house of this age, lime wash rather than modern emulsions and touch up as required.
Exactly. they're trying to fix something with 21st century methods when its a traditionally built property the focus should always be breathability. This is the reason these properties have problems. If you don't understand older properties just stick to extensions and new builds.
The cowboys have arrived🤣 yeehaa
@@Mao.Loves.Zedongthe focus was put on breathability when this was re built and they went to great lengths to ensure the correct lime render and lime plaster was used. They’ve even used an external breathable paint but the main issue is that the damp course is just too low. If it is installed at the correct height then they wouldn’t be having the issues that they are. I proposed modern methods up to dpc and then traditional above. There’s nothing wrong with mixing modern and traditional methods, it happens all the time and if done correctly and sympathetically to the original it works extremely well.
@@jimichip needs a gravel drain of sorts out the front that would help a lot
Get James back! This house used to be flat with no bay and that was a later addition.
That is not the case. The bay window is original
Roger, with all the damp in the wall, may need to check the timber underneath the floor boards.
Ok, a question for the brickies. Is it frog up or frog down or does it not matter? Thanks for all meaningful replies.
Always frog up, it needs to be filled with mortar as it’s an integral part of a walls loading and strength. Often you will find walls that have the majority of the frogs down and this will usually be on older council properties and large developments where the brickies are trying to speed things up and use less mortar but they always laid a few courses with the frog up usually when there was an inspector coming 😂
@@jimichip I agree, the bricks on a local village primary school playground wall were layed frog down, after a few weeks it fell over, could have killed children, the brickies excuse, "The children had picked out some of the mortar". They used LBC's so as you know these have ridiculously large frogs. I'm supprised there are no regs covering this.
@@abbersj2935if they were a properly trained bricklayer then they should’ve known that the frogs should face up. Also if the kids were able to pick out some of the mortar then the mix was likely too weak. Something the ‘Brickie’ should have also known.
Shocking the gaff
Basically; you've got rising damp AND penetrating damp, so the way around this is to rebuild a cavity wall with a dpc underneath the window & ventilate the cavity.
It's not rocket science.
The vent in the floor could be for a gas fire air supply
Surprised an Aco drain wasn't mentioned.
I think it is the pavement
What a bodge job my god!.when that wall was re plastered,they were only hiding the issue.Waste of money by this lady.
The ground outside was built up so the air bricks are redundant, damp gets through the bridged dpc, and no ventilation for the the suspended floor. Fundamental stuff that the builder has completely missed. Love the April Fools about James being in Barbados!
Cant have an old building with modern materials. The mortar needs to be soft lime mortar too otherwise the interior plaster can't breathe. But the bay should have been two bricks too.
Cheapest quote wins 🤦♂️
Every time 😂
add chemical DPC and double coat outside with some type of water sealant. Get accurate indoor humidity readings - dry off inside with mobile dehumidifier. Assess results
I hate to say it but the solution might be to remove the bay entirely, depending on what the drainage situation is like outside.
Just saw the outside pics - we're stuck with a bay! Builder is playing dumb, or is incompetent.
Looks like a 5yr old did the pointing…lol
and his twin laid the bricks :D
Here's a riddle to bring some levity to the old-school SB viewers (answer below) -
Q - Who sits on a telephone wire talking about damp??
A - Roger Buzby
I've got to say I'm kind of dissapointed this got no traction at all. It's a great piece of low-grade humour in the traditional 'dad joke' style I think.
You need a 3 to 1 or stronger sand cement base coat mix render to stop water penetration not sand lime mortar.
I'll second that - though using at least 2 parts of the sand content as washed sharp, and including a salt inhibitor such as Rendermix or similar. All this 'breathable' b/s is irrelevant: when that house was 'built' (I use the term in its broadest possible sense, given the type of construction) all houses had open fires, draughty wooden doors and sash windows ... Ventilation, or lack of it, wasn't an issue. The only problem with sand and cement render is its poor thermal insulation, and having cured the damp ingress, you may end up with condensation issues - once again aggravated by the lack of ventilation.
@@johnriggs4929
Yes, you can buy a strong cement based solution that you just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue.
I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
@@johnriggs4929
Yes, can buy a strong cement based solution that is just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue.
@@johnriggs4929
Yes, can buy a strong cement based product that is just paint on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t an issue.
I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
@@johnriggs4929
Yes, can buy a strong cement based product that is just painted on from good damp proof suppliers. I used it on a job once and the building inspector passed it, I had to give him all the manufactures specs on the product though but that wasn’t a problem.
I would use this on the external skin and build an insulated cavity wall on the inside. Only way to do the job properly.
Tell her to phone damp sam
A builder with an engineering background will have a better knowledge than a guy who woke up one day and called himself a builder. No barriers to stop anyone from setting up a building firm. This is why a lot of these issues occur. 😒
This is honking work !! A builder didn’t do this if he did hang he’s tools in shame !! Disgusting cowboy work that 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Damp Sam at the ready..........
That whole job is disgusting, please tell me that was'nt a real builder who did that, must have been the post man, sorry person !!!!!
You just know w.a.n.k Sam is going to do a video response to this
Who?
Who?
LoL Wank Sam " it's not a fucking hawk it's an handboard" What a tool he is..
Need urgent assistance with very similar problem. Brick walls to the side of the bay also soaked. I have underfloor access and can show you more possibilities which would relate to this problem. Your advice will be gold and it may also assist on this case. Please let me know how I can contact you.
www.skill-builder.uk/send