Hello dear homebuilders,
I’m new here and signed up because we have a problem. We moved into our new house in August and had an issue just before Christmas. Due to weeks of rain combined with wind and storms, our interior walls on the weather-exposed side are damp at floor level, about 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) high. The construction company says this is caused by the ventilation slots in the brickwork; they have now sealed them and have gone on vacation until January 12th.
Is it possible that rainwater gets through the ventilation slots and reaches the interior walls? I can hardly imagine that.
I would appreciate your help/opinion.
Thank you very much
I’m new here and signed up because we have a problem. We moved into our new house in August and had an issue just before Christmas. Due to weeks of rain combined with wind and storms, our interior walls on the weather-exposed side are damp at floor level, about 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) high. The construction company says this is caused by the ventilation slots in the brickwork; they have now sealed them and have gone on vacation until January 12th.
Is it possible that rainwater gets through the ventilation slots and reaches the interior walls? I can hardly imagine that.
I would appreciate your help/opinion.
Thank you very much
So, our construction company has responded and informed us as follows:
“We had an appointment this week with a publicly appointed expert and discussed your case.
The expert confirmed that the weather conditions over the last 8 weeks have never occurred before.
Considering that there have been no problems since you moved into the house, it appears to us
that water has accumulated at the house. The water could not drain quickly enough, and the masonry was constantly exposed to water.
The waterproofing systems we installed do not work against standing or pressurized water.
We offer to remove a stone from the base plate to inspect the waterproofing at that section.
The work can be carried out after consultation in the next calendar week.
We also recommend modifying the built terrace. The current construction does not comply with the DIN standards.
A distance of 15 cm (6 inches) below the water-bearing level is required.
The current design works with short-term rain, but it is expected that the storm-like prolonged rain
will not be a one-time event.
I advise reworking the terrace and the connection to the building.
We are fully aware of our responsibility and are very interested in a permanent solution.
You should dry the damp areas with a fan heater to prevent mold formation.”
What do you think about this, and what does this sentence mean?
A distance of 15 cm (6 inches) below the water-bearing level is required.
Our paving stones start about 10 cm (4 inches) below the top edge of the base plate. Is that too high? Below that is sufficient gravel, and there is drainage all around the house.
“We had an appointment this week with a publicly appointed expert and discussed your case.
The expert confirmed that the weather conditions over the last 8 weeks have never occurred before.
Considering that there have been no problems since you moved into the house, it appears to us
that water has accumulated at the house. The water could not drain quickly enough, and the masonry was constantly exposed to water.
The waterproofing systems we installed do not work against standing or pressurized water.
We offer to remove a stone from the base plate to inspect the waterproofing at that section.
The work can be carried out after consultation in the next calendar week.
We also recommend modifying the built terrace. The current construction does not comply with the DIN standards.
A distance of 15 cm (6 inches) below the water-bearing level is required.
The current design works with short-term rain, but it is expected that the storm-like prolonged rain
will not be a one-time event.
I advise reworking the terrace and the connection to the building.
We are fully aware of our responsibility and are very interested in a permanent solution.
You should dry the damp areas with a fan heater to prevent mold formation.”
What do you think about this, and what does this sentence mean?
A distance of 15 cm (6 inches) below the water-bearing level is required.
Our paving stones start about 10 cm (4 inches) below the top edge of the base plate. Is that too high? Below that is sufficient gravel, and there is drainage all around the house.
EveundGerd24 Jan 2015 13:49I am looking forward to the experts’ answers.
Unfortunately, I can’t contribute much to this topic, but since we still need to build our terrace as well.....
Unfortunately, I can’t contribute much to this topic, but since we still need to build our terrace as well.....
H
Hoschi197227 Jan 2015 12:56Hello OlliD,
It's nice, or maybe not so nice, to find another homeowner here experiencing the same issues...
We built in 2012 under the same weather conditions as Christmas 2014!
On the ground floor, we only have floor-to-ceiling window/door units. The interior walls around these units were also damp/wet. Possibly the connections/seals around the units are faulty... after professional drying?
Since then, the problem has not occurred again... we also didn’t have this weather combination (driving rain and strong wind) until now, just before Christmas... and here it is, we have the problem again.
A neighbor has the same issue as well...
We will soon hire an expert to take a look at the situation to see what they have to say… I can report back after the appointment.
Have you already received any insights or statements from an expert?
It's nice, or maybe not so nice, to find another homeowner here experiencing the same issues...
We built in 2012 under the same weather conditions as Christmas 2014!
On the ground floor, we only have floor-to-ceiling window/door units. The interior walls around these units were also damp/wet. Possibly the connections/seals around the units are faulty... after professional drying?
Since then, the problem has not occurred again... we also didn’t have this weather combination (driving rain and strong wind) until now, just before Christmas... and here it is, we have the problem again.
A neighbor has the same issue as well...
We will soon hire an expert to take a look at the situation to see what they have to say… I can report back after the appointment.
Have you already received any insights or statements from an expert?
Hello! I also think it’s great that there is someone else, especially who built with the same company. So your house is number 5 where this problem is known. So far, we have only received information from our site manager, as mentioned above. I have not yet hired any experts myself. I would be happy to hear a report from your expert. May I ask where you built?
H
Hoschi197227 Jan 2015 13:37Hello,
I prefer not to disclose where we have built...
But I will get in touch as soon as anything is confirmed.
I prefer not to disclose where we have built...
But I will get in touch as soon as anything is confirmed.
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