Previous damp and flood protection in 4 storey house on hillside
Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:23 pm
Hello.
This is my first post, so please go easy on me!
Firstly a bit of background regarding the property...
It is a four story house built into a hillside, the old cellar which backs against earth on 2 sides and has a set of external stairs running along one wall from a street above, and fronts into a tall enclosed 'courtyard' was converted into a kitchen.
There was an issue with some sort of damp before I moved in, so the walls where stripped of plaster (was very 'brittle and 'chalky' in many places), the walls and floor where covered with some sort of black membrane and a stud wall erected with insulation over the membrane. I haven't noticed any issues with damp so whatever was done was either surplus to requirement or was seemingly working fine. I did notice that in an area which was historically the coal store there was a coal shoot which may have been the source of ingress as it was this wall which had the issue, but this was properly bricked over during this process.
I'm sorry I can't provide much detail, but it was my brother who did the work...
Now unfortunately I was hit by severe flooding last week (Hebden Bridge) and the kitchens had to be 'gutted'.
We're now trying to work out a solution to ensure that when it inevitability floods again, its a much quicker fix.
Were going to lay a solid stone flood on top of waterproof concrete, but I don't know what to do with the walls.
I thought about cutting the stud-wall away upto the counter height and doing something like bricking over this black membrane upto the height of the remaining stud wall, and then tiling over it all so it can be easily and quickly cleaned, without the worry of water getting into this space between the external walls with the membrane and the stud wall.
So my question is, is this type of solution viable? Can I cover this membrane with something solid, and if so what would you all recommend.
I apologise for the length of the post, and iys coherency (im very dyslexic so struggle to getwhats in my head out into written words!), but I'm a practical if highly inexperienced chap, who frankly cannot afford for professionals to come and do the work (my insurance excess is £3500!!!!!!!).
Any help would be greatly appreciated, its an awful stress at the moment.
Thanks for your time!
This is my first post, so please go easy on me!
Firstly a bit of background regarding the property...
It is a four story house built into a hillside, the old cellar which backs against earth on 2 sides and has a set of external stairs running along one wall from a street above, and fronts into a tall enclosed 'courtyard' was converted into a kitchen.
There was an issue with some sort of damp before I moved in, so the walls where stripped of plaster (was very 'brittle and 'chalky' in many places), the walls and floor where covered with some sort of black membrane and a stud wall erected with insulation over the membrane. I haven't noticed any issues with damp so whatever was done was either surplus to requirement or was seemingly working fine. I did notice that in an area which was historically the coal store there was a coal shoot which may have been the source of ingress as it was this wall which had the issue, but this was properly bricked over during this process.
I'm sorry I can't provide much detail, but it was my brother who did the work...
Now unfortunately I was hit by severe flooding last week (Hebden Bridge) and the kitchens had to be 'gutted'.
We're now trying to work out a solution to ensure that when it inevitability floods again, its a much quicker fix.
Were going to lay a solid stone flood on top of waterproof concrete, but I don't know what to do with the walls.
I thought about cutting the stud-wall away upto the counter height and doing something like bricking over this black membrane upto the height of the remaining stud wall, and then tiling over it all so it can be easily and quickly cleaned, without the worry of water getting into this space between the external walls with the membrane and the stud wall.
So my question is, is this type of solution viable? Can I cover this membrane with something solid, and if so what would you all recommend.
I apologise for the length of the post, and iys coherency (im very dyslexic so struggle to getwhats in my head out into written words!), but I'm a practical if highly inexperienced chap, who frankly cannot afford for professionals to come and do the work (my insurance excess is £3500!!!!!!!).
Any help would be greatly appreciated, its an awful stress at the moment.
Thanks for your time!