Hi,
I have a 20' x 10' garage workshop (part of a rented property) and need some advice re. dealing with damp generally and building against a damp, old stone wall.
In terms of sources of moisture:
The space is unheated and uninsulated, so I'm not expecting miracles. I'd just like it to be no damper than the air outside. I think if I can achieve that, I could keep on top of rust with regular oiling - I haven't dared unpack all my planes and other handtools since the move
My current thoughts on how to get a useable space are to install a moderately powerful extractor (say 200 cubic metres per hour) up on the wall opposite the doors to pull air through the space a couple of times a day. This is something the landlord should be fine with.
The other plan is to build an OSB-lined stud wall in front of the stone wall - attached to it, but isolated (with small sections of DPC material?) from it. My thinking is to leave the gap between the stone wall and the stud wall wide enough and open at the ends to allow airflow. This should hopefully give me some useable/dry wall space for storage.
I don't really have the budget (time or money) for much more than this right now - i.e. £100 - 150 for an extractor and similar for timber. I would be really grateful for any pointers - do these ideas seem sound or the best use of my limited resources?
Thanks in advance for any help.
I'll try to attach a couple of pictures of the wall. I think there are leaks where the newer roof and walls join the old wall, but the mineral leaching is also occurring well away from these joins.
I have a 20' x 10' garage workshop (part of a rented property) and need some advice re. dealing with damp generally and building against a damp, old stone wall.
In terms of sources of moisture:
- There's the ambient humidity as the space isn't fully sealed (gaps around the hinged barn-style doors)
- It is also very wet and windy here (Shetland) and on very bad days a fair amount of rainwater can get blown under the door (I am planning to install some kind of storm-guard strip to deal with this)
- However, I think the biggest culprit is the old stone wall the forms one long side of the space. The garage is a relatively recent (decades old) blockwork construction built onto the side of an 18th century house. The blockwork and the roof seem fairly sound (if not perfect). My guess - based on what I have noticed in the last few months and what I have read here about old buildings, is that the wall (which extends one storey above the garage) is soaking up rainwater and releasing it into the garage.
The space is unheated and uninsulated, so I'm not expecting miracles. I'd just like it to be no damper than the air outside. I think if I can achieve that, I could keep on top of rust with regular oiling - I haven't dared unpack all my planes and other handtools since the move
My current thoughts on how to get a useable space are to install a moderately powerful extractor (say 200 cubic metres per hour) up on the wall opposite the doors to pull air through the space a couple of times a day. This is something the landlord should be fine with.
The other plan is to build an OSB-lined stud wall in front of the stone wall - attached to it, but isolated (with small sections of DPC material?) from it. My thinking is to leave the gap between the stone wall and the stud wall wide enough and open at the ends to allow airflow. This should hopefully give me some useable/dry wall space for storage.
I don't really have the budget (time or money) for much more than this right now - i.e. £100 - 150 for an extractor and similar for timber. I would be really grateful for any pointers - do these ideas seem sound or the best use of my limited resources?
Thanks in advance for any help.
I'll try to attach a couple of pictures of the wall. I think there are leaks where the newer roof and walls join the old wall, but the mineral leaching is also occurring well away from these joins.
