Hello,

I have just bought a oldish house (120yrs old) and after the recent rains a small amount of damp has appeared inside the front room on the external wall. The walls are solid and have a rough white render on the outside of them. There appears to be a thin crack in the render running in line with the damp we are getting so I suspect rain is getting in and soaking though. Render looks to have been painted in ronseal 10 year external paint (found an old tin of it in the house)

I cannot see any problems with the gutters and this is around 5 feet from the ground so I dont think its rising damp.

What should I do first. ?

Am I correct thinking that repairing the outside to stop the water getting it is the best thing to so and if so what can I use to fill a almost hairline crack in the render - do I need to remove some of the render first - its rock solid and not falling off at all at the moment. If I hadnt seen the damp I wouldnt have thought there was an issue to be honest.

Any suggestions on materials or methods I can DIY to fix this please.

Touprelith F.

Use an angle-grinder along the crack to widen it making sure its wider on the face so its like a V shape,then knock up a bit of render to fill it or fill it with exterior filler.

It is often a good idea to fill cracks with caulk if they are in places where movement is expected. This provides a flexible joint whereas hard fillers will always crack if subjected to stresses and strains.