DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello all,

I am new here and looking for all the advice and help I can get! I bought an old victorian terrace last year, beautiful but needing lots of work. I have few questions and hope your experiences and knowledge might help me.

Firstly...the walls in my kitchen become wet, at first I thought this was through not putting the extractor fan on during cooking :oops: but since been a good girl, the problem is still there. No issues of damp were raised during survey?

Secondly...the house has double cellars, and they are a little smelly, ( not as bad as some I've seen) the walls are dry, there is plenty of dust on walls (which are dry) but the floor in one of them is wet ( damp) :roll: the house has a smell to it too.......I think it is coming from the floor boards from the cellar....can this be right or am I too blonde! :oops:

Finally, the house has a slate roof, and popping head in hatch I can see light through them, is this right? No water seems to be coming in, ( well not yet) but I always thought there would be some sort of plastic in between tiles and my bedroom celing? I also think I need some insulation as there seems to be none and it can be cold.

Ah well, if you have got to this point and still reading, thank you any advice would be very much appreciated. My budget is very tight too ! :cry:

the first thing you need to do is make sure the cellar has plenty of ventilation,Install air bricks to do this, a constant airflow will clear any smell and help dry out that damp floor.
Yes there is supposed to be a roofing felt under the slates but this is common in older propertys.
Insulation in the loft is a must to keep the house warm as heat escapes mostly through the roof.
There are goverment grants in place for installing insulation so apply as soon as possible.
the kitchen could be a condensation issue check if the windows are wet in the morning if so there is your answer.
just open the window slightly to increase airflow.

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