Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:40 pm
Hi,
We've started to have a little damp in the corner of the living room in our terraced house, we're currently investigating, trying to work out if it's rising damp or condensation (my gut feeling is rising damp).
On the outside of this damp wall is a yard made from engineering bricks laid straight onto the soil (no sub-base). They have become very uneven so I'm planning on replacing them with gravel held in hexagon stabiliser grids (Nidagravel 130 grids). They recommend a sub-base of 50mm compacted MOT Type 1, then 10mm sharp sand with 40mm of gravel in the stabiliser grids on top.
I would appreciate your advise on how this is likely to affect the moisture in the soil immediately next to our living room wall.
When it rains at the moment, a lot of the water seems to run off the bricks, form puddles in the low spots away from the house then soaks away into the soil below. Am i right in thinking that when it rains on the new 'MOT/sand/gravel' the water won't run off anywhere, instead it will soak straight down into the soil - if that's the case i assume it will end up making the soil next to the house wetter, not ideal if it's rising damp?
Am i also right in thinking that the water would drain straight down through the gravel and sand layers immediately but would take a little time to soak through the compacted MOT?
If that's right, would gently sloping the new 'MOT/sand/gravel' surface away from the house help make the water run away from the house a little before it soaks down through the MOT so the soil next to the house will be a bit drier?
We've started to have a little damp in the corner of the living room in our terraced house, we're currently investigating, trying to work out if it's rising damp or condensation (my gut feeling is rising damp).
On the outside of this damp wall is a yard made from engineering bricks laid straight onto the soil (no sub-base). They have become very uneven so I'm planning on replacing them with gravel held in hexagon stabiliser grids (Nidagravel 130 grids). They recommend a sub-base of 50mm compacted MOT Type 1, then 10mm sharp sand with 40mm of gravel in the stabiliser grids on top.
I would appreciate your advise on how this is likely to affect the moisture in the soil immediately next to our living room wall.
When it rains at the moment, a lot of the water seems to run off the bricks, form puddles in the low spots away from the house then soaks away into the soil below. Am i right in thinking that when it rains on the new 'MOT/sand/gravel' the water won't run off anywhere, instead it will soak straight down into the soil - if that's the case i assume it will end up making the soil next to the house wetter, not ideal if it's rising damp?
Am i also right in thinking that the water would drain straight down through the gravel and sand layers immediately but would take a little time to soak through the compacted MOT?
If that's right, would gently sloping the new 'MOT/sand/gravel' surface away from the house help make the water run away from the house a little before it soaks down through the MOT so the soil next to the house will be a bit drier?
