@@GosforthHandyman Hi dear, this is Jane from PRTUKYT, we release one wireless headphone and would love to invite you to test it, are you interested?If so, pls let me know how to contact you. Thank you in advance.
Brilliant video, we had an old house and the back of it was really damp. Unfortunately on the day we took the keys we turned the water on and every water pipe leaked at every join, taps leaked, drains leaked and there was an outside toilet that had been incorporated into the house and the drain and pipes were never sealed. It took about 2 years for it to finally dry out.
ive only ever seen one DPC failure and that was a 300mm breach and to be fair even that was down to mainly joint failure. damp is nearly if not always caused by water ingress via roofs and guttering IMO
@@cliveclapham6451 lol wouldn't be a damp video without someone mentioning Peter Ward. I always wondered how people think a DPC just suddenly fails all by itself
Finally someone speaking sense on old houses and damp! Injection and concrete tanking ruin houses. I had ‘damp’… uncapped chimney and garden level too high.
On the kitchen floor get yourself a limecrete floor with an expanded clay aggregate for insulation. Limecrete floors are breathable and the clay aggregate will discourage wicking.
Very impressed by my Titan concrete breaker - same as you used in this video. Worked out around the same price as hiring one for a weekend, so handy to have for renovations especially in the garden where lots has been concreted in previously.
So good to see a proper dismantle & dig out to solve the problems. Band-aids in old buildings often just compound problems. Interested to see if the suspended floor works out with old concrete/brick foundations. Thanks for taking us along!
spot on diagnosis in my mind. the damp wallies don't want to rip your floor up of course, its easier for them to try to sell their solutions and potions. Always good to catch up with your videos, thank you.
I'm impressed! As of the moment, 292 comments, at least 250 them original posts, and Andy, you replied to all of them! This tells me the sort of gentleman that you are. We subscribe because we value your work and your instruction, and you have made us feel that our comments are also valued. I know of no other TH-cam account of this volume where every comment is recognized and responded to. We appreciate these great videos as well as your time and thoughtfulness.
Thanks Bob and I remember all the regulars too! Always appreciate it. This channel wouldn't be the same without all the fantastic suggestions and thoughts from you guys. Sadly I can only reply for the first couple of days of a video going live, gets too much after that. So pays to subscribe! 😁👍🛠️
Totally agree with your approach on dampness. I'm not saying rising damp doesn't exist, but so many properties have been drilled and injected unnecessarily due to bad drainage, lack of subfloor ventilation, incorrect mortar, high ground levels etc and the original problem doesn't even get resolved. Interesting that I'm seeing concrete, which was used to replace timber is now being dug out and replaced with...... drum roll....... timber, in some projects.
As often with old houses , a voyage of discovery. Interesting as always. Had similar discoveries in my own house ownership history. I agree with you about the damp. Condensation is often the cause .
Another problem in old stone houses which we have in Cumbria is damp in chimneys, especially in houses with central heating. The chimneys are vented, so you'd expect them to be dry, but in the late summer when the air is more humid the water vapour rising up inside the chimney condenses on the cold stone lining the chimney and seeps through into the bedroom wall. It took me years to work that one out!
Those concrete bases were probably when those houses were built for a coal fired boiler where people used to light a fire under a huge bowl for Want of a better word or Copper On washday
The electricity supply and gas meters are there, I had the same house a street away, my services were there as well, so assuming all houses in the estate will be the same. I can’t see it being a place for a boiler?
We had a copper in our house when I was a kid. My parents always called it a "set pot" as kids we got bathed in it until one bathnight my toe went through the bottom and you can imagine what ensued!!!!!!!
Seems I was correct about the continuity of the soil to the old gas pipe. The concrete and brick hearth was likely for a Range Master/ Aga at some point, as I noticed there was signs of a back boiler addition in one of the fire places too. The back fill for a solid pour floor is pretty common around here and is one of the main causes after water shedding for damp. This house has obviously had additions and alterations over the decades but hasn't been particularly well treated. The cracks in the walls upstairs where you have the main support beam for the partition wall is potentially due to movement caused by the damp on the footing of the wall by the kitchen entrance. It's nice to see a channel stripping back to the bone and doing it properly, my customers would have the same aspirations if budget would allow.
I've been looking into buying my first home with the new %5 mortgage they've started here. You're videos are really helpful in learning what to look out for
Looks like what we found in our mid-30s London semi. Cleared out many tunny bags of rubble, dust, old cables, lead pipe, and put French drain across the front after massively lowering the front paving. Lots of archeological layers. Now, the 1 meter high void under the original property is bone dry and pleasant to move around in and use as storage with sealed plastic boxes. A lot of work, but well worth it.
I have/had damp issues in my 2 bed Victorian end-of-terrace. I dug a 1 foot wide trench down the gable side of the house, to foundation level I think. Pulled all the mud and soul away from the building, and filled in the trench with dry stone and gravel. That was last winter. I also has the entire house re-pointed as the existing mortar was either crumnling away, or had been applied very shoddily. Waiting to see if that has sorted the issues this year 🤞
Hi Andy, some very useful info'. I didn't realise damp could be so interesting. Your persistence is inspiring for sure. I guess it must feel like two steps forward and one step backwards at times. Good luck and here's to completion.
I bought a large 1881 house last September, I've had a few trades tell me I must have a big heart! I'll say the same to you :) I think others may have commented, but those founds and bricks were probably for a stove or similar. I had a 65 year old potterton oil boiler still happily heating the house!
Another brilliant video. I have a 1930s home. This gives me lots to think about. I hope your videos inspire folk to do more robust intrusive home maintenance. Well done sir.
Love videos like this, Thanks. In my old granny's kitchen was a slab of York stone built on sleeper walls. This was the only fridge/cold shelf she had to keep food cool.
I was told by a builder I had damp in my 30s semi I have just bought in 1986. I'm still in it and never had problems of damp. When you buy a old house that's not been lived in fully. Once your living in it get the heating on and vent the house. And watch how it dries out.
I need to find a builder to get the damp fixed before the kitchen is put in and that is proving to be very difficult. It’s clear I have some pipes leaking in te house and something is keeping damp in buy the end of the kitchen (looks like it might be an old drain). Thank you for all this great information.
Great video mate I have watched a lot of videos on damp issues and the name Peter Ward always crops up. Not sure if you have seen his videos but he isn’t a fan of the “damp wallies”😁. He would be impressed by your diagnosis and fix 👍
If I may make a suggestion; instead of installing joist hangers and making a suspended floor, what about a floating floor? Sheet DPC lapped into the existing damp course, some sharp sand on top to level out the lumps and bumps, followed by ~120mm of rigid insulation with a 20mm upstand around the perimeter. Seal the flat joints with aluminum tape and the joint between the base-to-upstand and upstand-to-wall with acoustic sealant. Then topped with 18mm T&G OSB with D5 glue on the joints. It'll be a lot warmer, and you can dig channels in the insulation for any pipes that might need to be installed.
I absolutely enjoyed watching this now I've bought my first house ex council 1930s with "condensation" issue but I suspect some more issues already spotted down pipe bust so got seller to replace it and pointing gone so will be repointing that 🤣
You already got my sub to the member zone and just now, watching your screw-intensive back catalogue I find you’re also a fellow FS19 aficionado. Uncanny! I need to keep something just to myself though so I’m off to play me drums now.
Old kitchens can always be fascinating given just how much technology has changed over the years (cooking, washing, heating, fridges etc.). My guess would either be an old pantry that has been slightly oversized with concrete to help keep it cold in summer, or a rather sizeable belfast sink. And that backdoor may not have always been a backdoor - outdoor accessible pantries, coal stores or toilets have all been in similar locations. My own (1950s house) kitchen had no less than 7 blanked off gas pipes from over the years (and they were all still connected and live!) - our guess was gas fridge, washing machine, water heater, oven, hob with several moved positions and they never bothered to take the old pipes out when the moved them - just capped them and left them in situ. And that pipe probably only had a continuity reading as low as it did because it looks to have been incased in ground so damp it looked more like mud. If it's that wet it would only take a minor imperfection in the bitumen coating to get a good reading to ground.
Great video, full of interesting findings and solutions. One area maybe for a future video is the link of DAMP with adequate ventilation, especially for a 1920 house design. It's all a big compromise and is linked also with good insulation etc but important all the same. Great to see the progress being made. Thanks.
I renovated a property five years ago that had been built in 1931 and had barely been touched since the 70s. Those foundations you have found under the kitchen floor were likely for a pantry. Once I got to the original concrete floor of my kitchen under 3 layers of vinyl the marks on the original concrete surface showed where a pantry had been, as I had suspected since there is the small crittall pantry window still in place. The area enclosed by those two lines of bricks looks the same size as where my pantry had been.
Thank you for using your powers for good - a genuine look at damp without selling something! Refreshing! As for the brick walls, it would be interesting to see if the foundations for these continue through and it's just the bricks that have been taken out. Looking at the height of the hallway joists and supporting wall in the doorway these just look like dwarf walls to split the span into three parts. The bitumen to the underside of the bricks would make sense if these were to carry the suspended joists.
Nice playlist looking forward to the progress! I’d get rid of that green concrete out the back sooner rather than later if I were you mate, it’s only holding damp like you said. Don’t forget some air bricks under that new floor too! Love the methodical approach though, we had similar issues when we bought our house all the skirts stunk disintegrated when pulling them off!
I was thinking "Hope he finds gold or something valuable, Not dino bones or old civilization!" Then u mentioned an archaeological find! U r amazing with how well u relay information! I'm happy I found your channel. 🌹
Hi Jeff, I use a moisture meter and the results are always correct but with a large difference. I use it to test lumber when buying wood from anywhere. That are not meant for testing walls so you cannot really complain that you are getting false readings. Also you said you had the electrics all ripped out and re-done, I know you got an electrician in to do the work and sometime they are not into letting you film or you don’t want to release a video that someone may copy but get it wrong, but I would love to see the metre and what it looked like after he/she had finished.
I solved a lot of my problems (several years back) by redirecting one of the gutter pipes and extending another gutter pipe further from the foundation. So, similar results to what you're facing.
I would be intrigued to hear your prognosis on water appearing in a cellar, where there are no drainpipes, as it is in a mid terrace surround by houses. The cellar leak is in the middle of the house.. Subscribed, awesome content
Thanks for another fascinating video. Just bought my first house, no idea what I'm doing, and have no experience at all. Probably will end up getting builders and tradies to do everything but I am learning lots from your experience and feel much more capable of making more informed decisions! Also can't wait to see your soundproofed percussion studio!
I had a 'mare' at the back of the washing machine and tumble dryer. Two days later turns out the pipework had microscopic pinholes ! Which had me chasing red herrings, never guessing it was pinholes in the bloody pipes 😡
Really enjoy your videos. I'm sure you do well and if you don't you should be.. if every tradesperson had a YT channel like this they would be able to ask more for jobs due to showing competency, care and a real sense of pride and understanding of their trade. Too many cowboys and what trades need to realise is there are "Good" customers who will pay "Good" money for a job well done... its not a rat race to the bottom
yep when the ground is that soggy, it doesn't take much contact between the uncoated pipe and the ground to get a low reading - just a few square mm is enough
It's not surprising that a company in the damp-remedy business would come up with an expensive solution instead of saying, "Check your gutters and downspouts". The impervious tile flooring may have kept the kitchen dry but didn't deal with the problem. According to the video it took you less than five minutes to do the excavating, but I guess in real time it was a bit longer ;-), and you did your usual neat job of it. Some mysteries solved and new ones unearthed. Literally.
One reason you may have been getting such a good earth on that old bitumen covered pipe is probably because it was wet inside, and water is an excellent conductor. The surface area in contact with the wet soil wouldn't just have been the small piece of pipe in the outside, but the entire inner surface.
@@GosforthHandyman It is a metal pipe, so the outside and inside surfaces of the pipe are going to have very little resistance between them. water/mud inside the pipe would be contacting the inner surface of the pipe, and that would be bare or rusty metal. That same water/mud is also in contact with the wet earth part of the pipe was in contact with. So essentially, you had a highly conductive path from the outside of the pipe, to the inside of the pipe, through the water/mud in the pipe and then into the wet earth. Now remember, water is an excellent conductor of electricity, so it isn't surprising you had such a good connection to ground. Don't also forget, a metal pipe is just a circular piece of metal with a hole down the center. From an electrical perspective, it might as well been a flat piece of steel with one bare side and one covered in bituminous paint. Stick it in wet ground, and you are going to get a connection. As a matter of fact, a copper covered steel rod hammered into the ground near where the mains come into the building is how some electrical distribution systems provide an Earth connection. The other way of providing an Earth at the building is a separate wire from the transformer that is attached to the Neutral feed. Or sometimes if the building has the mains fed in from a metal covered feed, the outer metal is used to provide the Earth since it is already running through the ground and is a good Earth point. So regardless of the feed in, you are going to get a good connection from the old pipe to your Earth feed test point.
The electric meter would be in the pantry hence the brick plinth . My daughter bought a old terraced house in Portsmouth that had damp problems the walls at the front about 500 ml above the floor and had rotted the floor joists ends I found that it had cavity wall but the dpc was separate on the inside and outside leaves and that the lime mortar had over the last 100 plus years had filled the cavity way past the damp course not helped by a wartime bomb that demolished a nearby block , I had to take bricks out of the bottom course on the inside and rake out all cavity rubbish 16bags of it(front room) plus same in the hall where all the rubbish was up to the underside of the floor boards known as prompey thins plain boards app7" wide x 5/8 thick
Are you living in the house whilst doing the jobs , if so your Mrs must have the patience of a saint to put up with that .With regard to your damp meter I have a similar one and although they are cheap they are quite accurate, because technically they only measure resistance and the more moisture the less resistance, so they don't perform anything that would require a expensive meter to be honest , especially as you just want a general idea of where moisture is coming through the wall , great channel by the way 👍👍👍
We found the old concrete floor of the outside toilet (outside access to a room inside the house) and boy was that slab hard. It took me a couple of hours with a 36kg breaker to get it all up. Not too thick, around 150mm but the incoming cold water main came through it and I had to cut that out with a hammer and chisel before going nuts with the breaker.
Mystery brickwork. While built many years after your house, the one that my parents have lived in since the early 60's had a similar setup with the concrete foundation and brick walls for a pantry(since removed) and, looking at your video it looks to have similar dimensions.
The DPC "expert" issue reminds me of the building survey (level 3) I had on my place that said I needed more air bricks... I can literally see light front to back through the existing air bricks. The property has been unoccupied for nearly two years now with no heating at all and there is no sign of damp at all.
@@GosforthHandyman If you have a keen eye they aren't worth the money! Mine failed to point out the substantial bow in the upstairs floor where a supporting lath and plaster wall below had been removed and no additional support put in it's place. Was a perfect excuse to open up further and get a whopping big steel put in haha
Should dig that floor out then lay mot sand dpm insulation and pour a new slab on top, will be a more sound floor for a kitchen and will prevent any future water damage or ingress
I used to live in a house in Reading that had coal fired central heating. The boiler sat on a huge concrete plinth. Maybe the house was built before electricity was available in the area and there used to be a coal powered range on that spot. You could look for evidence of the flue which may have come off at an angle before going outside.
There's no sign of a flue in that area, otherwise I'd agree! I think electric was just being rolled out around then - especially in Newcastle (first electric streetlights in the world I believe!). 👍
How anyone can make a video on damp interesting I don’t know but I watched to the end and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice one 👍
Glad you enjoyed it - thank you Mark! 👍
@@GosforthHandyman Hi dear, this is Jane from PRTUKYT, we release one wireless headphone and would love to invite you to test it, are you interested?If so, pls let me know how to contact you. Thank you in advance.
Brilliant video, we had an old house and the back of it was really damp. Unfortunately on the day we took the keys we turned the water on and every water pipe leaked at every join, taps leaked, drains leaked and there was an outside toilet that had been incorporated into the house and the drain and pipes were never sealed. It took about 2 years for it to finally dry out.
So satisfying to hear someone say what is fact and proven about dampness, its almost always NOT a DPC failure.
Brilliant vid mate!
Peter Ward has a thing or several to say on damp problems?
Cheers! 👍👍
ive only ever seen one DPC failure and that was a 300mm breach and to be fair even that was down to mainly joint failure. damp is nearly if not always caused by water ingress via roofs and guttering IMO
@@cliveclapham6451 lol wouldn't be a damp video without someone mentioning Peter Ward. I always wondered how people think a DPC just suddenly fails all by itself
@@elobiretv a lot of wot he says makes sense. I have applied his thinking to a single signed skinned conservatory with good results.
This knocks Netflix into a cocked hat; can't wait for the next episode! Thanks so much
Finally someone speaking sense on old houses and damp!
Injection and concrete tanking ruin houses.
I had ‘damp’… uncapped chimney and garden level too high.
On the kitchen floor get yourself a limecrete floor with an expanded clay aggregate for insulation. Limecrete floors are breathable and the clay aggregate will discourage wicking.
Very impressed by my Titan concrete breaker - same as you used in this video. Worked out around the same price as hiring one for a weekend, so handy to have for renovations especially in the garden where lots has been concreted in previously.
So good to see a proper dismantle & dig out to solve the problems. Band-aids in old buildings often just compound problems. Interested to see if the suspended floor works out with old concrete/brick foundations. Thanks for taking us along!
No worries - glad you enjoyed! 👍
"old" its 1920's i wouldnt really call it old.
weve just been doing work for english heritage on a 1600's house
spot on diagnosis in my mind. the damp wallies don't want to rip your floor up of course, its easier for them to try to sell their solutions and potions. Always good to catch up with your videos, thank you.
So good to see someone telling people about DPC and the cons from damp proofing companies, at last, well done.
Cheers! Always rule out the obvious first. That doesn't make as much money though. 👍😁
I'm impressed! As of the moment, 292 comments, at least 250 them original posts, and Andy, you replied to all of them! This tells me the sort of gentleman that you are. We subscribe because we value your work and your instruction, and you have made us feel that our comments are also valued. I know of no other TH-cam account of this volume where every comment is recognized and responded to. We appreciate these great videos as well as your time and thoughtfulness.
Thanks Bob and I remember all the regulars too! Always appreciate it. This channel wouldn't be the same without all the fantastic suggestions and thoughts from you guys. Sadly I can only reply for the first couple of days of a video going live, gets too much after that. So pays to subscribe! 😁👍🛠️
You make the most mundane DIY stuff really really interesting, and your choice of music when digging up the floor was the icing on the cake!
Totally agree with your approach on dampness. I'm not saying rising damp doesn't exist, but so many properties have been drilled and injected unnecessarily due to bad drainage, lack of subfloor ventilation, incorrect mortar, high ground levels etc and the original problem doesn't even get resolved. Interesting that I'm seeing concrete, which was used to replace timber is now being dug out and replaced with...... drum roll....... timber, in some projects.
Peter Ward will love you for slagging wally damp man off great video Andy👍🍺
Ha ha, yes. Wally Damp has a lot to answer for. 😂
As often with old houses , a voyage of discovery. Interesting as always. Had similar discoveries in my own house ownership history. I agree with you about the damp. Condensation is often the cause .
Cheers! Glad you enjoyed!
Some great damp advice for all homeowners. Thanks for sharing.
No worries!
Must be very satisfying to know your house is all secure because you've made it so yourself.
Defo, at this stage we know the house intimately. It's a nice feeling. 👍😁
Andy, It was so good to hear you speak the truth about the causes of damp walls. I have been saying this for 40 years.
Yet another cracking video.
Cheers! Encountered so many times over the years! Failed DPC is very low down the list of things I look for. 👍
Great lesson on how important it is to get the water away from your house and that annual inspections and maintenance are so necessary.👍🇨🇦🙂
Defo - drying the property out is so important. 👍
You know it's a good video when 26mins fly by
Cheers - glad you enjoyed it! 👍
Well done, I'm a big believer in taking your time and using logic and patience when resolving problems.
Cheers! Yup, deep breath and work it out. 👍👍
Another problem in old stone houses which we have in Cumbria is damp in chimneys, especially in houses with central heating. The chimneys are vented, so you'd expect them to be dry, but in the late summer when the air is more humid the water vapour rising up inside the chimney condenses on the cold stone lining the chimney and seeps through into the bedroom wall. It took me years to work that one out!
Was nice to see your daughter helping you!
Those concrete bases were probably when those houses were built for a coal fired boiler where people used to light a fire under a huge bowl for Want of a better word or Copper On washday
Cauldron?
Yep. I remember the old 'Copper'.
The electricity supply and gas meters are there, I had the same house a street away, my services were there as well, so assuming all houses in the estate will be the same. I can’t see it being a place for a boiler?
We had a copper in our house when I was a kid. My parents always called it a "set pot" as kids we got bathed in it until one bathnight my toe went through the bottom and you can imagine what ensued!!!!!!!
There's no sign of a chimney or vent in this area so don't think it was boiler related. Could be wrong!
Seems I was correct about the continuity of the soil to the old gas pipe. The concrete and brick hearth was likely for a Range Master/ Aga at some point, as I noticed there was signs of a back boiler addition in one of the fire places too. The back fill for a solid pour floor is pretty common around here and is one of the main causes after water shedding for damp. This house has obviously had additions and alterations over the decades but hasn't been particularly well treated. The cracks in the walls upstairs where you have the main support beam for the partition wall is potentially due to movement caused by the damp on the footing of the wall by the kitchen entrance. It's nice to see a channel stripping back to the bone and doing it properly, my customers would have the same aspirations if budget would allow.
Yup, stripped a back boiler from behind the main fireplace. 👍
I've been looking into buying my first home with the new %5 mortgage they've started here. You're videos are really helpful in learning what to look out for
Really interesting and explains a lot about the problems with a house I'm buying.
I found similar concrete foundations under my old house, they were to support an old cast iron range.
Interesting! Could be, but right next to the back door? 🤔
@@GosforthHandyman - easier to bring in fuel perhaps?
I’m with you on this. Could be in had an external feed for the range, which was stocked outside the back door.
Loved the track during the kitchen floor timelapse 👍🏻
yes me to do you know what it’s called? ATB
It's "Say you will" by Wellmess
Defo - great band! Didn't actually know they were a 'real' band. Some tracks are written specifically for Epidemic Sound, who I use for music. 👍
I came to the comments looking for info on the music - it's great 👍🏻. I did wonder if it was Andy's drumming!
Amazing to see detective Andy 🕵️♂️ at his best. Brave man, shashing that floor up .
Cheers - we're getting there! 👍
Looks like what we found in our mid-30s London semi. Cleared out many tunny bags of rubble, dust, old cables, lead pipe, and put French drain across the front after massively lowering the front paving. Lots of archeological layers. Now, the 1 meter high void under the original property is bone dry and pleasant to move around in and use as storage with sealed plastic boxes. A lot of work, but well worth it.
Fantastic stuff - well worth the effort! 👍
I have/had damp issues in my 2 bed Victorian end-of-terrace.
I dug a 1 foot wide trench down the gable side of the house, to foundation level I think. Pulled all the mud and soul away from the building, and filled in the trench with dry stone and gravel.
That was last winter.
I also has the entire house re-pointed as the existing mortar was either crumnling away, or had been applied very shoddily.
Waiting to see if that has sorted the issues this year 🤞
Hi Andy, some very useful info'. I didn't realise damp could be so interesting. Your persistence is inspiring for sure. I guess it must feel like two steps forward and one step backwards at times. Good luck and here's to completion.
Ha defo! Light at the end of the tunnel though - at least in this phase. 👍😁
I bought a large 1881 house last September, I've had a few trades tell me I must have a big heart! I'll say the same to you :) I think others may have commented, but those founds and bricks were probably for a stove or similar. I had a 65 year old potterton oil boiler still happily heating the house!
in the old streets in wheldon lane they used to have boiling tubs in the kitchen and the brick work was the same as in your kitchen.
thanks for this bit of history!
Interesting! Only thing is it's right next to the back door?
Binge watching your channel. I am constantly amazed at all your knowledge of home renovation. It’s a real treat.
Another brilliant video.
I have a 1930s home.
This gives me lots to think about.
I hope your videos inspire folk to do more robust intrusive home maintenance.
Well done sir.
Cheers - glad you enjoyed it! 👍
@@GosforthHandyman I have my own TH-cam stuff on TH-cam electrical. It’s called e5 group. Have a look as we delve into all sorts of shenanigans
Love videos like this, Thanks. In my old granny's kitchen was a slab of York stone built on sleeper walls. This was the only fridge/cold shelf she had to keep food cool.
I was told by a builder I had damp in my 30s semi I have just bought in 1986. I'm still in it and never had problems of damp. When you buy a old house that's not been lived in fully. Once your living in it get the heating on and vent the house. And watch how it dries out.
My new favourite channel 😀
Thank you and welcome!
I really enjoy this series. Can't wait for the update video. Perfect song for the flooring demolition part 😎
I need to find a builder to get the damp fixed before the kitchen is put in and that is proving to be very difficult. It’s clear I have some pipes leaking in te house and something is keeping damp in buy the end of the kitchen (looks like it might be an old drain). Thank you for all this great information.
Hope you have had a good weekend
Great video mate I have watched a lot of videos on damp issues and the name Peter Ward always crops up. Not sure if you have seen his videos but he isn’t a fan of the “damp wallies”😁. He would be impressed by your diagnosis and fix 👍
Yes, Peter Ward's videos are excellent - he doesn't mince his words 👍👍😁
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. It was good to get some closure on the mystery pipe 😄
Yes, I don't think I could have slept at night if I hadn't dug that up. 😁
Was nice to your daughter helping you with doing the work
Great video. I agree, In my experience it's almost always water management from gutters or from backyards tilted towards the house.
Defo! 👍
damp proof course 'dpc' Appreciate the Video. Carry on with the hard work Sir.
Another brilliant video
Steve
Hi Andy hope you are staying safe and well
that info cant find anywhere else!!! thanks man!!
No worries! 👍
Hi Andy congratulations on reaching 164,000 subscribers and well done with all your your hard work on the project and the same for your videos as well
Great vid Andy, thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Cheers John!
Fascinating video Andy
Great video again - I really admire your skills and tenacity.
Cheers Brian - getting there! 👍😁
If I may make a suggestion; instead of installing joist hangers and making a suspended floor, what about a floating floor? Sheet DPC lapped into the existing damp course, some sharp sand on top to level out the lumps and bumps, followed by ~120mm of rigid insulation with a 20mm upstand around the perimeter. Seal the flat joints with aluminum tape and the joint between the base-to-upstand and upstand-to-wall with acoustic sealant. Then topped with 18mm T&G OSB with D5 glue on the joints. It'll be a lot warmer, and you can dig channels in the insulation for any pipes that might need to be installed.
You do work hard mate.good luck
I love it! It's my gym membership. 😁👍
Very disappointed , no dead bodies under the quarry tiles !!!!
Great work.
I absolutely enjoyed watching this now I've bought my first house ex council 1930s with "condensation" issue but I suspect some more issues already spotted down pipe bust so got seller to replace it and pointing gone so will be repointing that 🤣
You already got my sub to the member zone and just now, watching your screw-intensive back catalogue I find you’re also a fellow FS19 aficionado. Uncanny!
I need to keep something just to myself though so I’m off to play me drums now.
Old kitchens can always be fascinating given just how much technology has changed over the years (cooking, washing, heating, fridges etc.). My guess would either be an old pantry that has been slightly oversized with concrete to help keep it cold in summer, or a rather sizeable belfast sink. And that backdoor may not have always been a backdoor - outdoor accessible pantries, coal stores or toilets have all been in similar locations. My own (1950s house) kitchen had no less than 7 blanked off gas pipes from over the years (and they were all still connected and live!) - our guess was gas fridge, washing machine, water heater, oven, hob with several moved positions and they never bothered to take the old pipes out when the moved them - just capped them and left them in situ.
And that pipe probably only had a continuity reading as low as it did because it looks to have been incased in ground so damp it looked more like mud. If it's that wet it would only take a minor imperfection in the bitumen coating to get a good reading to ground.
Great video, full of interesting findings and solutions. One area maybe for a future video is the link of DAMP with adequate ventilation, especially for a 1920 house design. It's all a big compromise and is linked also with good insulation etc but important all the same. Great to see the progress being made. Thanks.
By you are a tenacious bugger Andy, and a grafter and Mrs Mac as well.
Cheers! Getting there! 😁
I renovated a property five years ago that had been built in 1931 and had barely been touched since the 70s. Those foundations you have found under the kitchen floor were likely for a pantry. Once I got to the original concrete floor of my kitchen under 3 layers of vinyl the marks on the original concrete surface showed where a pantry had been, as I had suspected since there is the small crittall pantry window still in place. The area enclosed by those two lines of bricks looks the same size as where my pantry had been.
Great series Andy, thank you :)
No worries! 👍
Thank you for using your powers for good - a genuine look at damp without selling something! Refreshing! As for the brick walls, it would be interesting to see if the foundations for these continue through and it's just the bricks that have been taken out. Looking at the height of the hallway joists and supporting wall in the doorway these just look like dwarf walls to split the span into three parts. The bitumen to the underside of the bricks would make sense if these were to carry the suspended joists.
Nice playlist looking forward to the progress! I’d get rid of that green concrete out the back sooner rather than later if I were you mate, it’s only holding damp like you said. Don’t forget some air bricks under that new floor too!
Love the methodical approach though, we had similar issues when we bought our house all the skirts stunk disintegrated when pulling them off!
Well diagnosed, like Peter Ward says, check drainage, ground levels and ventilation.
Defo - DPC is always fairly low down my list. No unheard of obviously, but rule everything else out first. 👍
Good , sound practical advice - thanks.
Thank you for your efforts. Really learnt a lot. Appreciate all your efforts.
No worries! 👍
W
Great stuff as always....beginning to believe you and Mrs Mac were born to save this house !
Too right! We're gradually resuscitating it! 😂
I was thinking "Hope he finds gold or something valuable, Not dino bones or old civilization!" Then u mentioned an archaeological find! U r amazing with how well u relay information! I'm happy I found your channel. 🌹
Thank you! Haven't found much treasure, yet! 😂
Hi Jeff, I use a moisture meter and the results are always correct but with a large difference. I use it to test lumber when buying wood from anywhere. That are not meant for testing walls so you cannot really complain that you are getting false readings. Also you said you had the electrics all ripped out and re-done, I know you got an electrician in to do the work and sometime they are not into letting you film or you don’t want to release a video that someone may copy but get it wrong, but I would love to see the metre and what it looked like after he/she had finished.
I solved a lot of my problems (several years back) by redirecting one of the gutter pipes and extending another gutter pipe further from the foundation. So, similar results to what you're facing.
Great stuff, makes a huge difference! 👍
I would be intrigued to hear your prognosis on water appearing in a cellar, where there are no drainpipes, as it is in a mid terrace surround by houses. The cellar leak is in the middle of the house..
Subscribed, awesome content
I'm really looking forward to seeing the suspended floor go in, because I'm considering doing exactly the same with the concrete floor in my kitchen.
Yeah we are doing one in our utility room soon I can't wait to see the vid
Watch this space! Not filming the actual install as a bit up against it time-wise, but I'll do a video about it at some point. 👍
Super video, Andy, so you were right about the damp!
Think so! The house is finally nearly dry! 👍😂
Thanks for another fascinating video.
Just bought my first house, no idea what I'm doing, and have no experience at all.
Probably will end up getting builders and tradies to do everything but I am learning lots from your experience and feel much more capable of making more informed decisions!
Also can't wait to see your soundproofed percussion studio!
Cheers and best of luck in your first gaff! 👍👍
Grand job 👍🏻 Seems many issues resolved with some hard graft 👍🏻
Nothing can't be fixed! 😁
So satisfying seeing that breaker in use
It's an amazing bit of kit! 😁
Another great video Andy !!! brilliant video .......thanks
Cheers! 👍👍
Great video would like to hear your views on cavity wall insulation in older houses
I was told years ago when I first bought a house, get your gutters cleaned out every year, saves hassle in the long run
I had a 'mare' at the back of the washing machine and tumble dryer. Two days later turns out the pipework had microscopic pinholes ! Which had me chasing red herrings, never guessing it was pinholes in the bloody pipes 😡
Really enjoy your videos. I'm sure you do well and if you don't you should be.. if every tradesperson had a YT channel like this they would be able to ask more for jobs due to showing competency, care and a real sense of pride and understanding of their trade. Too many cowboys and what trades need to realise is there are "Good" customers who will pay "Good" money for a job well done... its not a rat race to the bottom
Thank you Luke! As you say, never join the race to the bottom. 👍
Excellent work and thanks for sharing this with us take care
Thank you - and you! 👍
@@GosforthHandyman You’re very welcome and thank you
I've just subscribed because I'm really enjoying your videos on this renovation I look forward to the next one thank you x
Cheers and welcome on board as a subscriber! 👍👍
The low resistance reading was a good indicator of just how wet the sub floor is.
yep when the ground is that soggy, it doesn't take much contact between the uncoated pipe and the ground to get a low reading - just a few square mm is enough
Defo! 👍
Very interesting, thank you for showing!
No worries! 👍👍
It's not surprising that a company in the damp-remedy business would come up with an expensive solution instead of saying, "Check your gutters and downspouts". The impervious tile flooring may have kept the kitchen dry but didn't deal with the problem. According to the video it took you less than five minutes to do the excavating, but I guess in real time it was a bit longer ;-), and you did your usual neat job of it. Some mysteries solved and new ones unearthed. Literally.
Ha ha yes, that took 2 days with help from Mrs Mac and I still need to fill a skip. 😁
One reason you may have been getting such a good earth on that old bitumen covered pipe is probably because it was wet inside, and water is an excellent conductor.
The surface area in contact with the wet soil wouldn't just have been the small piece of pipe in the outside, but the entire inner surface.
Defo, but how was it getting such good connectivity from outside to inside?
@@GosforthHandyman It is a metal pipe, so the outside and inside surfaces of the pipe are going to have very little resistance between them. water/mud inside the pipe would be contacting the inner surface of the pipe, and that would be bare or rusty metal. That same water/mud is also in contact with the wet earth part of the pipe was in contact with. So essentially, you had a highly conductive path from the outside of the pipe, to the inside of the pipe, through the water/mud in the pipe and then into the wet earth.
Now remember, water is an excellent conductor of electricity, so it isn't surprising you had such a good connection to ground.
Don't also forget, a metal pipe is just a circular piece of metal with a hole down the center. From an electrical perspective, it might as well been a flat piece of steel with one bare side and one covered in bituminous paint. Stick it in wet ground, and you are going to get a connection.
As a matter of fact, a copper covered steel rod hammered into the ground near where the mains come into the building is how some electrical distribution systems provide an Earth connection.
The other way of providing an Earth at the building is a separate wire from the transformer that is attached to the Neutral feed. Or sometimes if the building has the mains fed in from a metal covered feed, the outer metal is used to provide the Earth since it is already running through the ground and is a good Earth point. So regardless of the feed in, you are going to get a good connection from the old pipe to your Earth feed test point.
The electric meter would be in the pantry hence the brick plinth .
My daughter bought a old terraced house in Portsmouth that had damp problems the walls at the front about 500 ml above the floor and had rotted the floor joists ends I found that it had cavity wall but the dpc was separate on the inside and outside leaves and that the lime mortar had over the last 100 plus years had filled the cavity way past the damp course not helped by a wartime bomb that demolished a nearby block , I had to take bricks out of the bottom course on the inside and rake out all cavity rubbish 16bags of it(front room) plus same in the hall where all the rubbish was up to the underside of the floor boards known as prompey thins plain boards app7" wide x 5/8 thick
Sounds like fun! 👍
Are you living in the house whilst doing the jobs , if so your Mrs must have the patience of a saint to put up with that .With regard to your damp meter I have a similar one and although they are cheap they are quite accurate, because technically they only measure resistance and the more moisture the less resistance, so they don't perform anything that would require a expensive meter to be honest , especially as you just want a general idea of where moisture is coming through the wall , great channel by the way 👍👍👍
Ha no, not a chance. It doesn't have a bathroom and you have to flush the toilet with a bucket. 👍😁
@@GosforthHandyman haha , thank god for that , you're a proper grafter mate I'll give you that .👍👍👍
Could that reinforced section be where the copper boiler was originally installed?🤔. I am pleased these problems didn't dampen your enthusiasm. 😁👍🏽
Possibly! But there was not ventilation / chimney in that area. 🤔
Love the work you are doing . Could that be a old fireplace footings 🤔👍
We found the old concrete floor of the outside toilet (outside access to a room inside the house) and boy was that slab hard. It took me a couple of hours with a 36kg breaker to get it all up. Not too thick, around 150mm but the incoming cold water main came through it and I had to cut that out with a hammer and chisel before going nuts with the breaker.
Sounds like fun! Glad I didn't have to be too careful since the water was already out. 👍😁
Excellent vid. Nearly as good as a Time Team episode.
I felt like I was on time team at one point. 😂
The bitumen covered pipe looks similar to an old gas main in a similar vintage cottage I renovated about thirty years ago
Yup - coal gas probably. 👍
Mystery brickwork. While built many years after your house, the one that my parents have lived in since the early 60's had a similar setup with the concrete foundation and brick walls for a pantry(since removed) and, looking at your video it looks to have similar dimensions.
The DPC "expert" issue reminds me of the building survey (level 3) I had on my place that said I needed more air bricks... I can literally see light front to back through the existing air bricks. The property has been unoccupied for nearly two years now with no heating at all and there is no sign of damp at all.
Yup, yet to have a survey that pointed out anything useful. 👍😁
@@GosforthHandyman If you have a keen eye they aren't worth the money! Mine failed to point out the substantial bow in the upstairs floor where a supporting lath and plaster wall below had been removed and no additional support put in it's place. Was a perfect excuse to open up further and get a whopping big steel put in haha
Should dig that floor out then lay mot sand dpm insulation and pour a new slab on top, will be a more sound floor for a kitchen and will prevent any future water damage or ingress
I want to do everything to avoid moisture being forced back up the walls, so suspended floor with lots of ventilation underneath so it all dries out 👍
I used to live in a house in Reading that had coal fired central heating. The boiler sat on a huge concrete plinth. Maybe the house was built before electricity was available in the area and there used to be a coal powered range on that spot. You could look for evidence of the flue which may have come off at an angle before going outside.
There's no sign of a flue in that area, otherwise I'd agree! I think electric was just being rolled out around then - especially in Newcastle (first electric streetlights in the world I believe!). 👍