Been to Brico-Depot and got the boards. Now confused which side goes inside? We're boarding one wall in a bedroom but suspect original stone wall may always be a bit damp (we'll be leaving around a 30 cm gap between wall and board)- due to front of house being lower than the road. Main section and back of house have no damp. I see UK boards come with green paper on both sides - should I put the green side toward the wall and what do I need to know about wallpapering the front - I've seen some scary posts about not being able to paint MRB's without priming?
Giss a job, I can do that!
Our old mayor used to go round on the back of a truck, with a tar boiler and gravel, filling the potholes himself. He could have been re-elected for ever, but he decided he was getting too old and retired.
Seems a bit different here at The Earths End. Judging by the number of blokes we had, leaning on shovels, the machines they brought but didn't get 'round to using & the amount of beer I doled out it must have cost our commune a small fortune to sort out my problem. N'er mind, the cost is shared out by our 7,000 inhabitants so the actual cost to me ain't too much. Don't you just love "Egality"? :-)
The mairie knows about the state of our road and I am assured that they will get around to patching it as soon as they have some spare cash. In the meantime I console myself with the thought that it makes the mad bikers slow down a bit.
Very cheap. It was a half-finished DIY restoration. Probably always will be, but it's something to keep me occupied.
You obviously don't live where I do Mike. I asked nicely, then I asked again & then I got mad & told 'em. That did the trick! The road was their responsibility otherwise I would have begged.:-) I'm assuming, by the way, that most people know who owns or is responsible for the road outside of their house 'cos if they don't!!!!
Must be a nice/cheap house if you bought it knowing you had all that work to do Mike or do you just like graft? ;-)
these old walls are designed to be allowed to soak up water and let it out in warmer times ie summer, they should never be covered over. hopefully digging a trench below the wall to a soak away will do the trick.
I'm taking it back to below floor level for a metre width all round the house. Nothing so good as letting the air get to it, especially as it is a stone wall with mud mortar. It probably worked well when it was built. It is what owners have done (or allowed to happen) since that has caused problems.
Digging a trench and filling it with gravel will to an extent work but the water has to drain away some where.
if you go down this route dig a trench along the wall, use land drains at the bottom and gravel back fill to allow it to drain, but you must have away for the water to drain away to, or use a sump and pump the water away from the house.
I would choose to leave the wall exposed and have a dehumidifier, but if I decided to take your route, I would try to ventilate to the outside of the property.
You are quite right about moulds, the airborne spores are not good for anyone and could be deadly for asthma sufferers.
I am currently reducing the built up soil around my place. The previous owner tried to solve the problem by digging a trench and filling it with ballast - a partial solution that has made more work for me. Much better to do the job properly the first time.
THE VOID SPACE WILL NEED VENTILATING or wise the moisture build up will cause toxic fungus and moulds to grow. what i said was not a cure but was a short term fix until the problem is solved, if it involves any form of french government you could be waiting until hell freezes over.
Sound advice Vic, except for the last bit! ;-)
Ask them nicely if they can advise you first, before telling them what their rights are.......
Especially as the road (depending on its status) may not be their responsibility.
Marjorie. If water is running, unimpeded, off the road towards your house I seriously advise you to speak to your Marie. I had a similar problem in the front of my house where the road had been resurfaced so many times the crown was over a foot higher than my parking spaces forcing all the rainwater & mud towards chez nous. The commune dug a trench between the road & my parking & installed concrete channels to take the water away. Without seeing a photo of your gaff I can't tell you if this will completely alleviate the problem (which it probably won't) but it will help. Tell the Marie they have no right to allow road surface water to discharge on your property. Worked for me:-)
Simon,
I find that a bit scary. All you would be doing is to increase the rate of evaporation and blow warm moisture-laden air all round the house. I think it is much better to deal with the root cause, rather than trying to attack the symptoms.
If you intend on covering over the damp area you should use cement board, and also i would advise that you use a blown warm ventilation system to help dry out the void space created( hot air blown in at the bottom and vented out into the room via the top above the damp area) or otherwise your problems will escalate.
Thanks very much Mike
Sounds like you need some expert local advice. There could be possible answers, such as introducing a damp barrier on the outside of the wall. If you are unable to undertake such work at this time, you could invest in a dehumidifier.
But I would strongly recommend that you do not use plasterboard to cover a damp wall. It will not keep the damp out for any worthwhile length of time.
Thank you for your kind reply and ideally we would have done so, however short of asking the commune to dig up the road and lower it I am a bit stuck for ideas. The other side of the wall is a staircase and that side is completely dry now. I understand your advice needs to be honest and have the integrity of the building foremost.