Damp on exterior wall of Turkish house Damp can be a major issue in the home. Find answers to questions or post your own here.

[pc6844]

Hi, we have a holiday house in Turkey and every year when we go we discover the paint is all bubbling about 3ft high on the exterior wall and also around light switches on the opposite side of the room. There is a musty/damp smell also. We have to scrape off the old paint, pva the wall and repaint. I'm not sure if it's rising damp or not. Any ideas of what we can do? Many thanks

[welsh brickie]

it happens all the time,its gets extreme weather in turkey in the winter time,the damp is being soaked up into the plaster like a sponge,and because of it being a holiday home its not ventilated at all.
Air bricks need to be installed to increase airflow and chippings need to be laid around the exterior to stop rain and moisture splashing up the wall

[pc6844]

Thanks for your reply. I think that the house is only a single Turkish clay brick thick without a cavity so can air bricks be installed or can a series of holes be drilled about 3/4 of the way in or is that a bad idea?

[welsh brickie]

the wall is built of single skin clay block its best to drill holes and knock them out you can use a flat head long screwdriver and a hammer,they are very brittle.The airbricks are circular plastic design with clips on the inside cost is about 3TL.