In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
There are Will, but most of them are rubbish, which is why in the UK most Damp proofing companies go Bankrupt every few years then set up in the same premises with a different name... I also beleive Adriatica was talking about both new and old builds, and certainly see where his builder was coming from...
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
We lived in a 500 year old timber cottage in the UK and when we moved in it had a damp problem. By lowering the soil level outside the building to below the internal floor level, creating a french drain along the worst wall and by replacing the cement based render with a lime render (and only using limewashes & distempers) we eliminated the problem completely with no need for invasive costly treatment.
The big problem with most of the modern solutions is that they just contain the moisture somewhere where it isn't visible thus looking like the probelm is solved. Unfortunately the problem isn't solved because the house still cannot breathe. When it comes to damp, the old ways really are the best.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
You're right, thats why, in York, our builder who was a friend, refused to have anything to do with chemical treatments, instead he removed a course of bricks Gradually :) and inserted a trad. tile damp course around the house, and, it worked out less expensive than injection, plaster removal and replacement. His view was that the plaster renewal probably hid the damp problem for about 3 years, then the chemical guy would blame the plasterer and vice versa...
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
i was discussing damp with a friend of mine today-strange i know,but apparently if you have a problem with a damp wall it always helps if you plant a row of sunflowers against it.should grow well in the italian sun.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=adriatica].... however my question is that with new chemicals there must be a way of adding something into the wall at a certain level above ground ...with the cement to stop water rising but maintain the structural strenght....
someone here must know[/QUOTE]
A number of years ago my parents bought a 200 year old property in England - built before they had invented damp proof courses - They had a contractor come around and drill holes in the stones walls about 6 inches apart and inject a chemical damp proof course. I would assume if it hasn't been banned for whatever reason it should still be available. This was all done from the outside of the building and plugged with re-constituted stone - you can not see the inhection points now Also the walls are some 3 to 6 feet thick in places. They have not had a problem since and as the house is built from Large Cotswold stome blocks of irregular size the idea of removing and replacing would have been impractical
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I spoke to a Surveyor about damp problems and he said that damp is unlikely to be rising damp - in a stone built house with rocks of granite - further the most likely cause of damp is where the ground level outside is higher - so building a french drain (perforated pipe, and filled with sand) would be the answer
There is, fortunately we have not had to use it so I cannot comment on its efficacy. Have a look at [url]www.torggler.com[/url] , they offer various solutions including one (le barriere chimiche) which looks as if a chemical is injected into the walls above ground to prevent damp rising further. They also have a type of intonaco that somehow draws water out of the walls. We picked up a copy of their brochure from our local builders merchants "1: Come Risanare Le Murature Umide", it is very detailed, I assume the same detail is on the website. They seem to offer solutions for old and new walls, so hopefully one will suit your needs. Our builders merchants always has a pile of brochures regarding damp problems on the counter so presumably it is a common problem.
Regards
Anne2