DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello all.
We have recently moved into a house which has, what are now finding out, a few odd or bodged jobs. Ok so maybe more than a few. I have found it has been built on top of the old council home outdoor step (usually painted red bricks and a concrete porch roof. Is this normal or should I be worried? The next door neighbours step looks solid enough assuming ours is the same, it only extends 3ft out from the rest of the house so there isn't a massive weight bearing down on it.. Has anyone ever come across this before and has it been ok?
Also, there is a bit of moisture getting in somewhere at the base. I'm guessing that maybe the step itself is allowing moisture up through it or maybe between the porch wall and the old step. Would water proofing the whole floor be a sensible option, I assume waterproofing the floor from wall to wall would have the desired effect?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Kind regards
Nathan

Hi, building on these platforms is quite common and usually they are very solid as the concrete roof they supported was heavy and councils (while not generally noted for their attention to quality) are pretty hot on the regulations and health and safety.

Is this the only door in the porch, or is there a porch door leading to a front door?

From the image it looks like the rain is driving at the door and the door cill has not been sealed to the slab allowing water to seep under. But if there is a door in front of the door in the image, then yes, there is definately water coming up through the slab and it should be dug out and a waterproof membrane put in. Waterproofing the top of the slab may do the trick, but you run the risk (as the slab is very likely at the same level as the DPC) of forcing the water sideways when it is stopped from coming up through the new waterproofing. If it moves sideways it could potentially cause damp in the house walls which would not be visible for quite some time. It might look like you have solved the problem but in fact have made it worse.

Sorry I cant give you any good news !

Hi, thanks for that. At least it's not as bad as i thought. I will have a look outside when the weather clears up and see if i can find out where the moisture is coming from.