Hello All,

A Plea for information that could help me potentially stop making the worst decision ever.......

I am about to purchase a house (only a week or so from signing contracts!) The house is cheap as it is all i can afford.

My concern at this stage is the internal floor to the lounge is about 1ft below the outside path which is tarmac (public footpath). The outside wall is a rendered stone wall (Victorian house - Wall about 1 & half foot thick). Wall length about 15 meters.

I have checked all the damp (awaiting the Surveyor report in 2 days - but i know what it will say)
The damp is about 1 meter high on interior and the plaster is blown in places on the interior. However, in some placed on the wall it is dry and others very damp. There is an electrical point set at only 6 inch from the floor which is working!!!

I guess the damp is caused by the low level of the internal floor......can this be rectified and will it cost a bomb? I am being told on one hand to stay away from Chem DPC and Tanking and go for lime plaster and visa versa....very confusing.

The house has been vacant for 12 months (which i know doesn't help)

Can anyone give me some info - lots on this site about damp but none i can find with these specific circumstances.

Please help - Lee

Wait for the surveyors report. post the info back here..DPC isn't always the best way to go, lime plaster breathes..

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Verwood Handyman
I Know it says I'm On-line, but I might have just left myself logged in, whilst I'm out....

lime plaster internally isnt going to help you, unfortunately...
not when the levels are all wrong and the outside is a council path...
still, that said, its perfectly rectifiable, more than likely with the use of a cavity drain membrane..

floor might need to come up, completely...
could easy be 4 grand...

be a few more opinions on this but i'd go with floor up and cavity drain membrane, with the wall membrane installed (but not plastered) before the new floor membrane (or even hardcore) goes down....

http://www.triton-chemicals.co.uk/prod1.php

there is another potential problem with this job....

if you remove more than 50% of the internal plaster down that wall (and that is highly likely) then you have to conform to document L1b of the building regs and whatever you do has to hit 0.3Wm2k u value... basically youll need to dot and dab 50mm phenolic(cellotex) insulated plasterboard to the membrane...

shouldnt be too much extra but youll be going up top ceiling height with it as opposed to 1m high...

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http://www.peterborough-plasterer.co.uk/

p.s. as wino says, surveyor first... make sure of that..

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http://www.peterborough-plasterer.co.uk/

Yeah, i will wait for the Surv' Report - I will then post what he says about the issue and hopefully you can revisit this question and assist further - cheers all.

Thanks all for such quick advice! cracking forum..

Once you have the surveyor's report find out the cost of any remedial works and get it deducted from the price, if the seller won't play ball then walk away.

I know it's hard to do when you really want to buy, but, should the sale fall through because of this there will be another property that is right for you.

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One day it will all be firewood.