Hello everyone,
My family and I have been living in our own home for two years now. We are very happy—if it weren’t for the word “BUT.”
We have a moisture problem behind our front door. Since the guest bathroom is directly behind this wall, we initially suspected water damage. However, it seems to depend more on the weather. We consulted our architect, who after much back and forth provided several explanations and possible remedies:
- Residual moisture from construction → continuous heat treatment
- Hairline cracks in the water pipe → no action recommended ?!?!
- Condensation from cold outside air → more ventilation, less heating ?!?!?
- “Moisture migration” in an electrical conduit → no action recommended ?!?!?
For us, these explanations do not align at all. Therefore, here are our open questions:
1. What could it be?
2. Who is the best professional to inspect this?
3. Is the architect responsible if he supervised the construction but we did a lot of the work ourselves?
The photos are from October 2017 (yes, we have been pestering the architect for a long time but keep getting postponed). Currently, the damage looks the same, but it has spread up to about 1 meter (3 feet) high. We have already started removing the paint. Afterward, the paint simply peeled off further up.
We would appreciate any input from you. Of course, I can provide more information if needed.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards,
Stefan
My family and I have been living in our own home for two years now. We are very happy—if it weren’t for the word “BUT.”
We have a moisture problem behind our front door. Since the guest bathroom is directly behind this wall, we initially suspected water damage. However, it seems to depend more on the weather. We consulted our architect, who after much back and forth provided several explanations and possible remedies:
- Residual moisture from construction → continuous heat treatment
- Hairline cracks in the water pipe → no action recommended ?!?!
- Condensation from cold outside air → more ventilation, less heating ?!?!?
- “Moisture migration” in an electrical conduit → no action recommended ?!?!?
For us, these explanations do not align at all. Therefore, here are our open questions:
1. What could it be?
2. Who is the best professional to inspect this?
3. Is the architect responsible if he supervised the construction but we did a lot of the work ourselves?
The photos are from October 2017 (yes, we have been pestering the architect for a long time but keep getting postponed). Currently, the damage looks the same, but it has spread up to about 1 meter (3 feet) high. We have already started removing the paint. Afterward, the paint simply peeled off further up.
We would appreciate any input from you. Of course, I can provide more information if needed.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards,
Stefan
M
MIkro198622 Jan 2019 17:19Here are some recent photos.
As mentioned, the architect said we should remove the paint...
As mentioned, the architect said we should remove the paint...
Before asking about construction measures and liability, one should first identify the cause. This is probably not straightforward, and I would recommend consulting a building inspector or expert.
To me, it looks like the plaster is absorbing moisture from below. Possibly the sealing around the front door at the base is not okay?
We once had a similar mystery. In the living room of my parents’ house, a few spots of plaster were flaking off near the bottom of the wall. At first, we assumed it was due to the exterior wall. However, the real cause was a water pipe running across the living room on the unfinished subfloor that had developed a leak. The distance to the wall was about 2.5 meters (8 feet). On top of that was a floating floor. The water ran underneath the insulation toward the wall and gradually climbed up the plaster. It took several months before we identified the cause.
To me, it looks like the plaster is absorbing moisture from below. Possibly the sealing around the front door at the base is not okay?
We once had a similar mystery. In the living room of my parents’ house, a few spots of plaster were flaking off near the bottom of the wall. At first, we assumed it was due to the exterior wall. However, the real cause was a water pipe running across the living room on the unfinished subfloor that had developed a leak. The distance to the wall was about 2.5 meters (8 feet). On top of that was a floating floor. The water ran underneath the insulation toward the wall and gradually climbed up the plaster. It took several months before we identified the cause.
C
ChristianSt8114 Nov 2020 02:25Hello,
we just came across your post and have exactly the same problem. The moisture pattern and the rooms are identical. We hope you have identified the cause of the damage and would appreciate it if you could share your experiences with us. For us, basically two possibilities come into question: a faulty seal on the front door or damage in the adjacent bathroom, although no water pipes are expected in the shared wall. It could still be that the concealed cistern or the pipes in the bathroom are causing the problem, but the moisture only appears on the hallway side (tiles in the bathroom). We would appreciate any feedback.
we just came across your post and have exactly the same problem. The moisture pattern and the rooms are identical. We hope you have identified the cause of the damage and would appreciate it if you could share your experiences with us. For us, basically two possibilities come into question: a faulty seal on the front door or damage in the adjacent bathroom, although no water pipes are expected in the shared wall. It could still be that the concealed cistern or the pipes in the bathroom are causing the problem, but the moisture only appears on the hallway side (tiles in the bathroom). We would appreciate any feedback.
J
Jack Cursor7 Feb 2024 16:33Rising moisture in walls carries salts with it. When the moisture evaporates at the wall surface, it leaves behind solid deposits known as efflorescence. Drying walls using electrical drying devices does not solve the problem but actually makes it much worse! Only wall infiltration with sealing agents fully dries out the wall. I had several companies inspect my house and received outrageous quotes costing thousands of euros. The membrane solution is merely a poor fix. The infiltration funnels do not create a tight seal at the wall junctions. I drilled into the basement wall myself and dried it out using products from the company in Bobenheim-Roxheim. Their infiltration containers work based on the principle of connected tubes. Treating two houses cost me 1000 € (about 1,100 USD). No tile removal, no mess, and the walls are completely sealed.
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