We are in the process of renovating a 2 floor, 3 bed terrace house from 1928 in the South East.
The outer walls are of cavity type with a suspended timber floors on the ground floor. This is our first house so we have no experience but have been doing extensive research throughout the process.
We’ve lived here for 9 months while stripping wallpaper, wardrobes, carpets etc.
We understand that opinions differ on how to deal with ventilation, insulation and damp issues. There seems to be two sides; those championing traditional materials
(breathability etc) and those who say you should shut out moisture, use cement pointing, moisture resistant membrane etc.
On Wikipedia it says cavity walls should breath, let out moisture but the advice from one builder who’s been around was to cement render the back walls of the dining room. Another said to paint them with a sealant and then plasterboard, also to cement repoint the outside of the house. It’s all very frustrating and we’re not sure how to move on.
We have stripped down the previous plaster boards in the dining room
( the effected part of the house) . Found the outer plaster walls all cracked and effected by condensation with pealing paint. We chipped one back to brick but not sure what to do next. We have repointing to do on the outside ( need to decide what material to use) and need to figure out if we should re-plaster or plasterboard the dining room? This includes a plaster boarded fireplace I can tell the plaster is loose on.
We are also wondering if we should insulate under the floorboards? What type to use?
This is a small 800 sq ft house. Not our forever home but we have decided to install new plumbing, a new vogue boiler and hive thermostat, planning rewire before decorating and installing humidity sensor fans in kitchen and bathroom. Previous owners used gas fire heaters that have made a mess of the place. We want to do what’s best for the house so the same problems don’t come back but to also keep the budget in mind ( we only bought it for 185k), as we will eventually move on. All advice is very appreciated! Pictures attached