How do I fix damp issues caused by outdoor pathway/staircase?

[pippajennings]

Hello,

I’m looking for guidance on how to fix the damp issue on my newly purchased house.

The damp is on a lower level living room and is on the inside of the single brick wall  that runs alongside a poorly constructed cement staircase pathway. On the inside, the damp is at a right angle to a stud wall which separates the living space from an underground storage room. More info below. 

We understand that the damp has been caused by the following key issues:

(1) an external staircase which runs alongside the external brick which is angled towards the house and not away, so heavy rainfall is going towards the house instead of away from it;

(2) a small gap which has opened up between the external stairs/pathway and exterior wall where heavy rainfall is getting in; and

(3) poor drainage and subfloor ventilation in an under house storage room (which is essentially a vacant space with exposed earth / rock) which runs parallel to the staircase.

I would really appreciate advice on what the best solution is to fix this problem and who to engage to help. 

We have spoke with three specialists who have provided conflicting advice, being:  

- One damp specialist quoted $9k (not including gyprock/soil removal or stud wall modifications that need to be done by a carpenter). Their solution was to waterproof / damp cream inject the brick wall with mould, and add hebel under the stud wall and add waterproofing to that. They said we could leave the outdoor pathway/staircase as is, and that it wouldn’t matter if water got in through the pathway crack as it wouldn’t get through the internal wall waterproofing.

- A second damp specialist quoted $3.4K to replace poor quality vents in under house area to increase ventilation under the house. He said a better levelled pathway would also need to be done, and suggested gravel/pavers as a good option (services not offered from him though). 
- A concrete specialist whose quote came back at $10k. They proposed leaving the internal mouldy wall and that it would sort itself out in time, and to demo then relay the concrete pathway/staircase properly.

We would like the solution to fix the damp, improve the aesthetics of this pathway and it be a cost effective solution. We are very happy to engage professionals for certain jobs, while doing other aspects ourselves to keep costs down. 

We have researched some alternative pathway materials and are very open to gravel/pavers, tiling, etc. as an alternative to concrete. 

We would really appreciate your advice and suggestions on how best to sort this problem out! Thank you very much in advance. 

 

  

[pippajennings]

Hi Dave, 

We will do some investigating while at the house tomorrow (we haven't moved in yet) and will let you know re. air vents and what is under the lino. 

Thanks!

[pippajennings]

Hi Nailbag, 

Yes we were hoping in the early days that one professional could fix it all with a turn key solution, but it is looking like it's a multi-pronged approach to fix it properly! 

One of the first people we spoke to was an anti-damp specialist who advised injecting anti-damp solution into the bricks (creating a 10 year barrier from lateral damp) and waterproofing/sealing the brick from the inside. He told us with this waterproof barrier solution (plus increasing ventilation and creating a drainage system in the sub-floor space) that it wouldn't matter about re-doing the concrete pathway outside as the damp/mould wouldn't make its way through to the internal wall.

However, we want to do this properly and maximise the defence against water damage and damp... plus the pathway is a complete eyesore anyway! 

We will speak with a few trades people this week and get a plan in action. 

Thanks for your advice, will definitely keep you all on the loop.

Pippa

[Dave-1]

Morning @pippa 

Small solutions at a time and eventually you will have it sorted to the point you "occasionally check it"

Just a suggestion as your slope is steepish, have a look at these styled "mats" to help stop gravel/dirt sliding or washing down the slope.

Strol 0.5m² PebbleLock Permeable Pavers  shows a range of options. I havnt used these but they do seem to work well.

Dave

[MitchellMc]

That sounds like a plan @pippajennings.

Please keep us updated.

Mitchell