Hi there

Does anyone have any experience of damp in 1930s houses in FH? Specifically the front of the house which is a few feet down from the road. We have had an 80% moisture reading in the four walls of the front living room where we have been advised that heavy rainfall is likely to have run down from the road and sky(!) under the front of the house and become trapped causing the moisture levels in the walls and damp.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and made any efforts to re-route water flow?

Many thanks in advance.

Not the same problem, I don't think, but maybe worth mentioning.

Ours is a 1930s semi - classic two beds 'n' a shoe box. We had a lot of damp/condensation on windows and the inside of exterior walls, and in the upstairs front bay.

Main culprit seems to have been the roof, which was well past its useful life and replacing both it and most of the windows, seems to have cured the problem.

You really need to determine whether the moisture is from outside or inside the house. But from an external point of view, you should have an effective Damp Proof Course (DPC) near the bottom of your living room walls which should prevent the moisture from rising up the walls.

Sometimes, this can be bridged - typically (over time) through a build up of soil from the garden or by a bit of thoughtless DIY, where a path around the outside of the house has been laid, raising the external level above the DPC.

Another possible cause is if your external walls are rendered or pebbledashed over the brickwork - again this gives the damp an opportunity to cross the DPC.

We've just had one of the wettest years on record with many properties being flooded for the first time, so I suspect there will be plenty of people experiencing damp problems - especially when the surrounding ground rises above the property.

Initially, it might be useful to have a word with your neighbours to see if they're experiencing the same and (if you can see your DPC) have a quick check that nothing obvious is bridging it - else I would suggest you locate a reputable builder to investigate further.

And as shzl400 has quite rightly pointed out, condensation inside the house can also make the walls damp - when I was having some building work done, my builder discovered that the skirting boards were damp - I thought it was rising damp from the ground below and got a damp proof specialist in to take a look. But he diagnosed condensation from inside the house.

Thank you both very much. if you can recommend a reputable builder please do PM me as going to start gathering quotes. All the best,

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