To wonder what the hell I'm going to do about my house

[mystiquesonya]

Hi, okay I'll start by confessing that this isn't really an aibu but I am absolutely at my wits end and as I know there's lots of traffic through here, thought maybe there's someone out there who has a clue what's going on through personal experience or otherwise and could give me some much needed advice before I go crazy..

Okay, so here's the deal, in December 2010 we noticed that rainwater was coming into the house through the walls. Our inside walls are literally soaked through. This has caused damp problems, i.e. mould growing on everything, dc's toys, walls, kitchen cupboards and the house stinks, it's just horrendous. In December 2010 when we first noticed the problem we called our insurance who sent around a builder and a surveyor who agreed the problem was 'condensation' and that we just needed to open windows, ventilate the property more etc (although we were reluctant to believe this as we WERE always opening windows etc). We listened to their suggestion anyway and kept the house extra ventilated for the next few months. But, alas, no change. During this time we had to replace the floor as it was so wet it collapsed.

In December 2011 we contacted an independent surveyor. We scoured the internet for a decent, respected surveyor because we wanted someone who could solve the problem and found somebody who a.) was chartered b.) had appeared on a bbc consumers show offering advice and c.) charged an arm and a leg (and we assumed we'd get what we paid for). The surveyor came out and he did a thorough examination of the wall and under the floor (where there's also water). He then advised us that our problem was because our walls were filled with the 'wrong' type of insulation which was soaking the rainwater from the outide wall and into the interior wall. So (deep breath) we paid £400 for a company to come and remove the insulation... And still there's NO CHANGE. Every time it rains our walls are soaked and it's causing so, so many problems. I hate my home and hate being here and I'm worried for the dc's health. We've spoken to countless friends anf family members, none of whom have ever heard anything like this and even the professionals don't know what's going on.

So, if anyone has had rainwater seep in to their internal walls I'd be so eternally grateful if you could advise me what caused it and how you resolved it. You would honestly be saving my life. Thanks in advance for any replies. And thanks for reading.

In your position I would research, then research some more and build a comprehensive list of anything which "could" be causing the problem.

I would then eliminate any simply not feasible or possible for your particular case.

I would then systematically work through the list handling the DIY myself (unless of course structural).

IME experts are not always able to find a solution. It's you and your family who have the real vested interest.

No idea but bumping for you. Presumably you have had the roof checked? Is it an old house? Old plumbing could mean old pipes leaking. Sorry can't help, but sounds awful.

Would it be the damp course (I am pretty sure I have spelt that wrong). I say that because we had a similar problem in a cellar of a rented house. A drainage pip leaked and the wall became mouldy. The builder who did the work said there was no damp coursing (again am sure I have spelt it wrong).

We had a problem with the fixing for an old sattellite dish (the dish itself had been removed, but the bracket & wires were still on the outside wall). It caused a large wet patch on the second set of stairs (up to converted loft) when it rained. We had initially assumed the wet was down to a roof leak, but roofing guy came out and said he didn't know what was causing it, but there was nothing wrong with the roof and so no repair would help. We eventually worked out by looking at the outside of the house that the position of the bracket matched where the water was seeping in. Sure enough, when we had it removed the water ingression stopped immediately and totally.

So is there anything on the outside of your house that could be allowing water to leach in? Wiring? A dodgy extension/conservatory??

Like DPrince, I was going to suggest water coming upwards. Is it a new house possibly built on a flood plain?

If it's coming from below could be a blocked drain, a cracked drain, rising damp due to faulty or no damp course. Is it near any water pipes or mains that could be leaking? Is the level of the land outside above the damp course level ?
If it's coming from above a faulty roof- anywhere but where the water could run downwards towards the wall, a blocked downpipe, blocked guttering. Can you get into the roof space and see if the timbers are damp?
I'm sure you've thought of all these things.

All these things seem fairly minor but if left for a while can cause problems.

Have you contacted the surveyor you used- you could try and tell him you did what he said and it hasn't worked. He might come out and have another look for free. If I were you I'd get another opinion. A builder might be more use to you.

We nearly bought an old house where there was a persistent damp problem on one wall and it had had a chemical damp proof course put in but it hadn't worked. My FIL who is a civil engineer said it could be solved by basically digging a trench beside the wall and then either putting a pipe to drain away the water or gravel to let it evaporate.

Thanks all for your replies.
To answer the questions, the damp course is fine, the pipes & gutters are fine, it?s definitely rain water and it?s effecting all the walls so not an isolated patch. It?s not coming from underground but coming in through walls and seeping down walls and into floor. That?s about all we?ve established, as to why it?s happening I have no idea. It seems logically impossible that rain water is able to bridge the gap between the external and internal wall. I just don?t get it!

Have you been into the attic when it's raining? It sounds like a problem with your roof??

How old is your house?

Everything's dry in the attic. The house is 50 years old.

Whats the motar like between the bricks?

Whats the facia like between the roof and the wall?

Is there a cavity in the walls or not? Maybe it could be a problem with that.

mortar even not motar.

I'd call the 'expert' back. He didn't solve the problem last time, so shouldn't charge you. Are you certain that the guttering isn't too close to the house? Had the previous occupants had the same problem? Do the neighbours have the same problem?

The cavity walls have metal ties between them to pull them together I believe. Is the water ingress patchy or equal everywhere.

If it is patchy but in regular places if you see what I mean, it may be due to the metal ties (they are a bit like a thick hairpin I think) which are in the cavity between the two walls. They act like a little bridge and the water can run along them to the inside wall.

Yes is the water falling out the back of the guttering and down the wall...

think it might be the pointing.

It's a problem with the guttering then. Do you know if the downpipe is blocked? This will make the gutter overflow as there's nowhere for the water to go. If it's running down the bricks then it will go inside as they are porous and can only withstand so much.

This will be contributed by the pointing (cement in between the bricks).

Are you sure they removed the cavity insulation properly - did you visually check yourself? £400 sounds quite cheap for what must be an absolute bitch of a job.

We painted out other house with a sealant like this www.clearcoat.co.uk/ to keep the water out. My husband did it though, the company didn't come and do it for us. Worked a treat

Right-no walls in the attic.
So rule out all these other options,one by one.

Could be gutters or ties.
How old is house?

Pointing defective in the brickwork.

Does the or did the house have pebble -dash? That can disguise problems and also allow water to become trapped behind it.

Do you share walls with neighbours? They could have a leak.

Do you live near a beach? We do and sand blows in under the eaves, falls down the cavity and we get penetrating damp through the cavity.

I do sympathise as we have a corner of our lounge that is damp like this (but more minor). Apparently it can't be rising damp as it is dry under the floor, can't be penetrating as there is no way in, we have been trying to sort it for ages and I am sick of it too.