Damp and a new fireplace - needing to redecorate the room

[PartialToACupOfMilo]

I have two questions, not really related other than they're in the same room!

Our next door neighbours moved out a few weeks ago and their landlord has a had a couple of labourers in to do some work before he puts the house on the market. I knew the guttering wasn't great before they moved out but have since found out that it's blocked and has been leaking down the wall between our windows - we're in a terrace. Anyway the upshot of this is that the wall by the window is very damp - we hadn't noticed. The workmen fixed the leak as soon as they spotted it - quite quickly as their side is damp too - and I've taken down the paper inside, turned on the heating and opened the windows in there. It seems to be getting drier, but it's only been a couple of days. I assume once it's dried we'll just get the wall replastered and that will be it. Question is, is this right? Or am I completely going about it the wrong way? Damp sounds quite scary, but surely once it's dry, it's not going to be a huge problem...?

Secondly, as we're going to have to have a plasterer in at some point, we've decided we may as well redecorate the room. We were going to do it at some point anyway and it will be easier to do everything while the furniture's out rather than move everything twice. Also dc2 is due in 10 weeks and I'd like to ideally get it all sorted before then. So, we have a cast iron fire to put in that room which has sat in the garden shed for the past three years. How do you go about doing this? It will be purely decorative and we have no intention of actually lighting a fire at any point. The chimney breast is right next to the corner where the damp currently is and has been plasterboarded (badly) and painted in the past. I'm guessing we take down the plasterboard, attach fireplace and replaster around it. Is there going to be a whole lot more to it than this?

Any advice on either issue really appreciated. Can you tell I don't have a clue about DIY?!

[AgnesBligg]

I am not an expert () but I think - think - everything you've posted sounds right to me.

The cause of damp sorted so once the wall is dry you can replaster it. I think you may be able to speed the process up a bit using a hot air gun and/or dehumidifiers. You can get tiny ones for a 'local' damp bits for £6. (someone more knowledgeable will come along and say what a pile of shite I am suggesting so bear in mind I am only saying what I would do. Also I don't think you should do anything AT ALL diy related because you're pregnant. Really don't.)

Also yes to getting botched plasterboard issues sorted, nice fireplace cavity made good. Are you getting friendly decent builder in to worry about plastering, if so include iron fire putting in, skirting, replastering whatevs around, as part of the job. Yes?

[tricot39]

You sound pretty clued up to me!

Good plan on the drying out. Sounds ideal. If you are lucky the plaster may not need replaced - although if it is plasterboard it might well do.

Fitting a cosmetic fireplace is very simple. If you are able to fix it in place before your plasterer comes, he will do the making good.

It wasn't obvious to me first time i had pattering done so i will also throw in - you need to remove your carpet and underway if you want to reuse them and you are having a lot of wet pattering done. It makes a huge mess.

[Pickgo]

If the damp dries out say in 4-6 weeks then it was deffo from the guttering. If not then you need to investigate further. Falling damp (as opposed to rising) is usually a lot easier to solve because it's from a leak. Have you checked your roof? No tiles missing?

Just to complicate matters, are you sure the chimney isn't responsible for the damp? How does it terminate? Sometimes people just put a roof tile over an unused chimney's pot and this can dislodge or be letting in rain.

RE the fire surround. Seems a bit odd to install as a purely decorative feature. It will let in cold air and draughts and doesn't seem worth it if you don't actually want to use it. However, yes you just need to open out the old fireplace and see what's there. If the space fits you can just put it in. They usually have sort of tags each side that are designed to either be mortared in between bricks or screwd to bricks then plastered over. If it doesn't fit you may have to remove some brickwork or build some more up.... all a lot of trouble for a purely decorative item!

[AgnesBligg]

Adding to what Pickgo says, remaking plasterboard that's put in wrong makes no sense if I think about it. You may as well open it all up and see what you have. You may just as well make a working fireplace, you never know it's a lovely option for the future, and aa better feature when you come to resell.

[PigletJohn]

A terraced house is presumably quite old and probably has solid (not cavity) walls. The wall may well be saturated and take a year to dry. Hacking off the plaster will speed it up. A fan will speed it up. You can open the window but dont waste your money on heat. A big builders dehumidifier for drying out can cost 20p or 30p an hour to run and take weeks.

If water has been running down the outside wall the downstairs room will be wet too.

Start asking around for a recommended plasterer. He will probably suggest rendering in sand and cement with a finish plaster skim. If you have an original Victorian house and he is an old fellow who knows how he may offer to re-do in lime plaster.

Your insurance co will probably say it was due to neglect and lack of maintenance but you can try them.

[PartialToACupOfMilo]

Thanks for all of your replies.

Pickgo I don't think it's coming down from the roof or anywhere high up as it's only damp in the dining room, not the room above. And it can't be the chimney as it's the other half of the alcove and the wall next to that.

Agnes We will have to take the whole plasterboard down off the the chimney breast and see what's there anyway, but I agree completely with what you're saying. Basically the previous owners tried to do everything on the cheap and this is one of their gifts to us! They've just put up plasterboard, then lining paper and painted, but didn't skim over the plasterboard first. There's a big crack down the side of it where you can push the board in and out - a bit of a mess, but totally 'liveable with' short term. Guess the short term is now over!

PigletJohn We're hoping to use the same plasterer who did some work upstairs for us previously - he was really great. Think we will chip back the plaster anyway because it was in bad condition before the water damage and we had to chip it back when we did upstairs, so chances are it will need it regardless. But the wall taking a a year to dry out?!! I really hope not, I just want it sorted now we know it's happened. Do you think we'll need the external wall repointing or anything?

Hadn't thought of trying the insurance company.

[PigletJohn]

It is said that a wet brick wall takes a month to dry out an inch, left to itself. Fresh air and airflow helps it evaporate.

When I had a drying-out company in they said the blower took the water out of the wall and the dehumidifiers took the water out of the air. With a dehumidifier you have to shut the doors and windows or it will try to dehumidify the world.

The electricity bill for the job was certainly many hundreds of pounds.

The big dehumidifiers are noisy too.