hi,

i have purchased a 1901 built end terraced house. apparently it used to be a row of houses but alot were knocked down and im now the end terraced house but the gable wall is single skin and has penetrating damp. the wall is rendered and does have some cracks which have been checked, my question is would the following work fix the problem?

internally:-remove plaster down to brickwork, then dot and dab 25mm plasterboard (board with polystyrene backing) onto the brickwork.

externally:- advised render needs cracks filling (he advised not major cracks) then can spray over withchemical which will prevent further damp problems.

i have read on forums with similar problems that a solution would be to strip the plaster down to brickwork,add some form of protection ie bitumen or viscreen to wall,add battens,fix plasterboard the skim. have read mixed reviews on this as some say good but others say the wall woulnt be able to breathe?

any advise on the above much appreciated.

thanks

defo wouldn't dot and dab... moisture build up on back of plasterboard where the heat of internal space meets the outside temp.

you could insulate the outside of wall and render over the insulation giving good r value and dealing with the damp penetration

the damp proofer advises the foil backed plasterboard would be sufficient and stop the vapour?? hes not actually doing the plasterboards, so hes just giving advise of what he and his colleagues suggest. hes pretty adamant that the boards would stick to the wall when dot & dabbed without any probs in the future. would these type of plasterboards not be any good? he also recommended the plasterboards with the polystyrene backing as he said these would provide good insulation with it being single skin?

thanks