Damp in terrace house

[Chickenwaffles]

Hi all,
I recently moved into a 3 bedroom terrace house and have notice large amounts of damp in the bay window of the house (please see the images attached for reference)
I was just hoping that someone on here would be able to identify what type of damp it is
This only started in October it was not prevalent in the summer months (we have also had damp in the dining room external wall and bedroom but we believe this to be from condensation)

There was cladding at the front of the house which touched the floor I removed about 1.75 inch of it as I had thought it was bypassing the damp course

I’m really stuck on what could be causing this
Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Has it even got a damp course? Most houses built before WWII didn't have them (although retrofit is possible).

That said, first thing I'd look at is the troughing (gutters) - are they leaking or overflowing? Same for the downpipes - any broken bits or leaks? Finally what about where water drains from the downpipes? Any blockages or overflows in the grate? Also is the floor a suspended timber (planked) floor, concrete or flagstones (beneath tje linate)? And is the ceiling dry in the bay window? Is the floor inside above or below ground level outside? (I can see that the garden has been built up). Finally is this a single storey bay? There are other things to consider, but those are a start

 

[Chickenwaffles]

Has it even got a damp course? Most houses built before WWII didn't have them (although retrofit is possible).

That said, first thing I'd look at is the troughing (gutters) - are they leaking or overflowing? Same for the downpipes - any broken bits or leaks? Finally what about where water drains from the downpipes? Any blockages or overflows in the grate? Also is the floor a suspended timber (planked) floor, concrete or flagstones? And is it dry in the bay window? Is the floor above or below ground level outside? Finally is this a single storey bay and is the ceiling dry? There are other things to consider, but those are a start

I think it has retrofit as stated on the survey,
The gutters seem all fine nothing blocked or leaking,
It is a single storey bay and the ceiling of it is dry only seems to affect the bottom of it which leads me to think it’s rising damp
The floor inside is above ground level outside and there is a vent than runs under the house
The vent is all cleared and no blockages present
I’m guessing the best course of action is to get proper damp proofing done?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I wonder what it is like beneath the floor. It looks like it is a suspended wooden floor (the air vent more or less confirms that, but I did wonder if you have a cellar). I now wonder if there is a build up of waste material below the floor or if your house is at the bottom of a hollow where the water table might cause this. If the wall is wet, what does the back of the skirting look like and is the laminate damp at the edges?

 

[Chickenwaffles]

I wonder what it is like beneath the floor. It looks like it is a suspended wooden floor (the air vent more or less confirms that, but I did wonder if you have a cellar). I now wonder if there is a build up of waste material below the floor or if your house is at the bottom of a hollow where the water table might cause this. If the wall is wet, what does the back of the skirting look like and is the laminate damp at the edges?

The air brick is very low which may cause some issues
The fall pipe is away from the window and the floor is timber
I think the skirting is weak due to the damp and will probably be wet
There is no cellar just an air brick
I’m not sure where it’s getting in from as this only happens in the winter it seems

 

[Deleted member 174758]

What I was trying to ascertain was whether or not the water was indeed coming up from below. I live in a valley where some of the houses along the valley bottom have had "rising damp" - which turned out to be the water table being so near to the surface that it did literally climb the walls in a few houses with solid walls and no DPM, but where the original builders hadn't cleared rubble out of the space beneath the floor. I can't see a DPM on your house because it appears to have rendered walls (?) and is the render damaged? That can also retain water

 

[Chickenwaffles]

Do you think water could be going through the air brick as it is fairly low & whether building something around it to stop water going down while still allowing air to circulate would help?

 

[Chickenwaffles]

Here is an image of the air brick

 

[Deleted member 174758]

It is possible, but the only way to find out if there is water in the cellar is to get a camera in there. I think that first I'd be out there in the rsin trying to see if that render (if it is render?) is retaining water.

 

[Chickenwaffles]

I’m not sure if it’s render, I did repair a small part of it when removing part of the cladding should it be taken back to the bricks itself to check?
When part of the render or what whatever was under the cladding came out it was fairly damp

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'm more inclined to think that the water is being held by the render and migrating through the (solid) wall. At some point you will need to pull a piece of skirting (and attached laminate beading) off the wall to see what is happening at floor level on the inside

 

[DiyNutJob]

Check the bottom of the window and under the sill from the outside to make sure no openings there

 

[foxhole]

You air brick is performing a drainage function, not good, needs digging out and lowering ground level, filled with shingle to give better drainage.
The cladding holds in any moisture also exasperating the damp problem as it slows any drying process.

 

[Chickenwaffles]

Hi all
Quick update thank you for all the help and advice I have opened the floor boards and everything seems sound not rotting on the joist or floorboards
I have also changed the air vent to a telescopic one
Hopefully this solves the issue if it doesn’t I will have to guess it’s the cladding on the outside or condensation
Again I really appreciate all your help

 

[opps]

Has it even got a damp course? Most houses built before WWII didn't have them (although retrofit is possible).

Most of my work is in London, the properties are primarily Victorian, but they, I believe, tend to have slate damp courses. Was that not common throughout the rest of the country?