Damp at the base of removed fireplace breast

[NeoL]

Hi there all, I bought a semi detached 1930s house about 1 y and a half ago. In the living r room there used to be a fireplace breast on the party wall which was removed years ago. The first floor breast and stack are still there. When i was buying the house there was a damp in the area and The seller capped the chimney pot and fixed the flashing. So we let it dry a few months and then replastered.

Last month i got some stains just above the level of the skirting board. Trades people seem to disagree on the root cause. Also the quotations are very expensive.

Do you have any comments? I'll share some photos. There are some radiator pipes which I damaged whilst investing the damp area. I'm certain the pipes were not leaking. Also there was damp in on the left of those pipes lurking behind the skirting board and that cannot be linked with them.

Also one question, how thick is a party wall meant to be? I started adding dryrod to create a moisture barrier so better not feel through to the neighbours.

I'll have someone so some work at the chimney. Not convinced it's the chimney but some tlc would not harm?

 

[foxhole]

You have no chimney breast but have neighbours retained theirs,? they could have a damp problem which only shows on your side , have a chat with them .

 

[bobasd]

when you took the skirting off was the back of the skirting rotten? what about the wood flooring after you lifted it - was it rotten?
are there similar stains anywhere else on the walls - in the room or on the walls of other rooms?
where do the pipes come from and where do they go?

 

[NeoL]

Hi there guys, thanks for the replies. I have continued my investigation. Removed more plaster and started digging too. The pipes are definitely not the source of this. They are radiator pipes and they are not leaking what guaranteed. i found wet clay soil right underneath the tiles. I think all this humidity was coming from the earth and then through bridges over any damp proof layer.

Yes there was a around smell of rot.

How should i fill the hole i made?

 

[NeoL]

Another photo of the before and after the excavation

 

[bobasd]

what you show is the old hearth - it will have to be excavated and made free from rising damp.
crack out the concrete/mortar and lift all the tiles up to the edge of the hearth area. then post new pics.

why not also post the remedial recommendations, and quoted costs you've received from the various Damp and Timber people? other DIY'ers like yourself would be interested in what they say, and how they say it, and how they charge.

 

[NeoL]

No trades person bothered to pay a visit but all have a quotation over the phone, or after sending them WhatsApp photos. I've had two roofers claiming the chimney needed repointing or the flashing needs repair but have not really checked. The quotations we for 300£. Then two damp proofing companies quoted 1300+vat and 1700+vat for a damp proof course, membrane and re plastering.

 

[NeoL]

Do you think i should continue excavating? I've gone two and a half bricks down. Also I'd like to avoid removing more laminate to cover a wider area. An i making a mistake?

It already started to dry out. My plan is to put a thin layer of gravel, then a vapour barrier and then fill it with more gravel to the floor level.

I'll also inject dryrods (already put some) to create a new barrier for any further rising damp.

Is the party wall single or two bricks thick? As I would rather not drill all the way to my neighbors living room.

 

[bobasd]

So.
roofers have become somehow involved when the thread is about the ground floor hearth area? or are there further problems with the first floor remainder of the chimney breast?
the roofers both quote: some vague pointing and flashing for £300.
always ask roofers for before and after pics or video.

Its not possible to quote for D&T work over the phone/internet - as proved by your quotes: these guys totally missed the significance of the hearth.
you can certainly send pics and details to them for a heads up prior to an inspection but just working a price from pics means they will give a wild high figure - or a very low price, and do adjustments later to suit themselves.

the problem is the "Free Inspections" offers - like free lunches, they dont exist.

 

[NeoL]

I posted the problem on rated people and roofers replied stating it's definitely coming from there top of the concert/roof. But there's no other issue with damp anywhere else.

 

[bobasd]

Ref. your post #8:
stop with the injections and gravel.

i'm presuming you have a suspended floor?

you will have to excavate the whole area of the hearth to a depth of about 300mm
and expose the surrounding fender wall, and any joist trimming (the wood could be rotten).
its sometimes necessary to remove some of any surrounding boards/laminate to expose the full area of hearth and trimming.

party walls run from 1/2 a brick to a cavity wall - work on 1/2 a brick.

 

[bobasd]

i dont think Rated People are very good - for anything!
most rating sites are about as accurate as the profiles people post on dating sites

 

[NeoL]

i'm presuming you have a suspended floor?

.

The floor is solid, half of the living room concrete, the other half is tiled

 

[NeoL]

That's the floor. Tiles on some hard concrete or mortar or similar?

 

[bobasd]

is the half around the hearth suspended?
can you pic the whole floor and "paint a line" showing solid and suspended halves?