Penetrating damp in end wall - please advise Damp can be a major issue in the home. Find answers to questions or post your own here.

[claire_md]

Hi
The gable end wall of a property we are looking to buy backs onto a flower bed of the drive of the neighbouring house. This gable wall is damp, and having a surveyor look a this, he says he thinks this is due to penetrating dampness caused by the soil in the flowerbed on the side of the drive of the neighbouring house (which backs onto our gable end).

We were thinking that lowering the level of the flower bed in the neighbour's garden and putting in a trench of gravel to let the wall breath, would resolve this. However are novices at this! Can someone please advise what should be done?

many thanks in advance.

[welsh brickie]

you need to clear all the soil away from the gable and let air circulate any soil against the wall will create damp.
create a barrier between the soil and the gable buy means of some kind of perminant barrier,railway sleepers,concrete edgeings,brickwork etc.
a gap of 100mm at least will do the job.