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I just had my 3 bedroom house redecorated and soon after doing that I noticed water marks/stains in 3 different places on the ground floor.

2 marks are in the same room, left and right of chimney breast

And the other mark is in the living room left of the chimney breast.


The house was damp-proofed in 1998 with a 30 year guarantee (the company has since gone bust).

The wall behind these two rooms is a solid brick side wall which is only accessible via the neighbours' gardens.

One of the gardens has a relatively big shed with a slanted roof (and the slope is towards my wall rather than their garden) and no gutters. I'd say there's one foot behind the shed (in other words it doesn't touch my wall)

All 3 marks seem consistent with one another - and the first picture (left of the chimney breast in dining room - there's no shed behind that).

I'm having 3 companies round on Tuesday but I could use with people's opinions!

Thanks!

Nine out of ten that the ccause of your damp is an unventilated and unswept chimney flue or flues.

I notice that you dont have a vent in the blocked off fireplace.

You will have to open the fireplace and have the chimney thoroughly swept and vented top and bottom.

Also have the chimney stack on the roof looked at, the flaunching and flashing and pointing.

If "damp salts" have reached the decorated surface you will have to have the plaster removed and the area rendered in sand and lime.