Fixing Damp In A Stone House

MrHappyChap

I was speaking with a "damp specialist" on the phone and he informed me that putting a membrane around the walls in a stone house is the only option to go for to cure damp in a stone house.

He said the injection method is not usually used (or maybe he said it's not effective - can't recall) in stone houses.

Anyone know if this is true?

I would guess the injection method would be cheaper

Victor

Part of the problem with stone is you have random lumps, not an easy straight line like brick or blockwork. I would follow the experts advice, but there is nothing to stop you from asking more than one expert.

Ultimately you want a job that someone will stand over for the least cost - it shouldn't matter how they do it once it works and they stand over it. Look for soem sort of guarantee (materials and labour)

You should also consider damp proofing and insulating the floor and insulating the walls.

Is the ground higher outside than inside?

MrHappyChap

No the ground is lower outside.

With the drill & injection method they drill holes at intervals & inject a liquid into these holes. This then prevents the damp from rising.

AFAIK, the membrane method is a bigger (more expensive) job. I wonder why the stones can't be drilled and injected in the same way as blocks/bricks?

Victor

Originally posted by MrHappyChap
I wonder why the stones can't be drilled and injected in the same way as blocks/bricks?

Stone is (generally) several times harder* than brick / block and much more difficult to drill. And while the chemicals can percolate through the voids in brick / block, there generally aren't any voids in stone.

* Drop a block from 10 feet and it will probably shatter, drop a similar sized rock from the same height and it would probably only chip

^whitey^

Drylining is probably the cheapest and most effective way, I did it to a bathroom in a house (over 100 years old) over the summer in which the walls were all old stone and not one straight edge on the damn thing.

Get a DIY book and take it from there can be a frustration job but rewarding in a way.

Victor

Originally posted by ^whitey^
Drylining is probably the cheapest and most effective way,

this may not necessarily work where floors and internal walls meet external walls.

MrHappyChap

Has anyone heard of the French ditch method, and how effective it is? Here's a description of it...

"Dig a deep ditch around and then away from the building. Dig it as deep as you can without endangering the building. Then lay in a large vented drain pipe, and cover it with large clean stones to within 6" off the ground surface. Then lay a slate cover, like a roof, draining away from the footings, and turf over it. In this way any water in
the ground will drain away leaving the cottage standing upon a dry island. Any water running down the wall will be drawn away from the footings and will enter the rubble fill and drain into the ditch. This technique is called a French ditch. When used properly, it cannot fail."

^whitey^

Originally posted by Victor
this may not necessarily work where floors and internal walls meet external walls.

You may be right I'm no expert, but the part of the house I did it in was a converted coal shed believe it or not Ithink it was just all the one wall although a very thick one, we in turn converted it into a bathroom. So keeping the whole thing dry was gonna be tricky but it turned out great in the end.

Look into all the options and give someone a call who's in th industry.

Victor

Originally posted by MrHappyChap
Has anyone heard of the French ditch method, and how effective it is? Here's a description of it...

More commonly known here as a "french drain", they are common for roads and similar construction can be used for basements. Essentially the water finds it easier to drain into the pipe than percolate into the walls. You will need somewhere to dispose of the water, ideally a soakpit (large hoel in the ground filled with large stones and covered over) well away from the house.

In the context of a house it is useful for rising (from the ground) damp, but not penetrating damp (driving rain, leaky gutters, etc.).

One drawback I **suspect** is if the existing ground is water sodden, draining it too quickly could stress / crack the building, especially if it is an older building with poor or no foundations. Also the system won't work, or will only work poorly, where there is a high water table.

MrHappyChap

Thanks Victor.

Maybe this is only effective with a detached house in order to create an "island". The house I would have in mind is a terraced house which fronts directly onto a public path i.e. so not easy to dig up at front of house, and not possible to dig up at sides of the house.

So maybe this technique would not be suitable?

Victor

Yeah the neighbours might be upset at you dig a trench along one wall of their living room That said in a terrace you shouldn't be getting much damp along the inner walls anyway. If you are, I think you need to go the DPC route, not the drain route.