Narma89
2024-01-13 21:38:08
- #1
Hello everyone,
we are about to buy a house built in 1991, which we have also been living in for almost two years, so we basically know the quirks and defects. Nevertheless, a building surveyor was here yesterday and did not find any further defects.
Besides the poor insulation of the top floor ceiling, the biggest problem is the damp basement. We have efflorescence on several walls. In the first summer, quite a bit of wood that I had stored in the basement also got moldy, but that was most likely because I had the basement windows open all summer. By now, I know that was not very clever.
The building surveyor mentioned two options: either dig everything out and seal from the outside or use a resin injection method from the inside. I would really only be reluctant to dig it out, because then both terraces would also have to go, as would the landscaping. For the resin injection, I have an offer from acquaintances from 2021, at that time 480€/m² was estimated. For the size of the basement, that would be a mere 50,000€ without considering inflation, so it is probably more like 60,000€.
Now the question arises for me, how urgent is the problem? How damaging is it to the building structure? In my research, I found the recommendation multiple times to seal with a horizontal barrier and then with a vertical barrier from the inside. This would make the basement itself dry, but the masonry would still be wet/damp. Is that even sensible?
Would a sensible ventilation for the basement perhaps already provide relief? The basement is only to be used as storage space and workshop, where I build something every few weeks. So it doesn’t actually need to be as dry as living spaces, but I have also read that the moisture can eventually rise into the ground floor.
Also, the interior walls are most affected, which I cannot explain. Pictures 1 and 4 are exterior walls, pictures 2 and 3 are interior walls.
Thank you very much in advance for your help!
we are about to buy a house built in 1991, which we have also been living in for almost two years, so we basically know the quirks and defects. Nevertheless, a building surveyor was here yesterday and did not find any further defects.
Besides the poor insulation of the top floor ceiling, the biggest problem is the damp basement. We have efflorescence on several walls. In the first summer, quite a bit of wood that I had stored in the basement also got moldy, but that was most likely because I had the basement windows open all summer. By now, I know that was not very clever.
The building surveyor mentioned two options: either dig everything out and seal from the outside or use a resin injection method from the inside. I would really only be reluctant to dig it out, because then both terraces would also have to go, as would the landscaping. For the resin injection, I have an offer from acquaintances from 2021, at that time 480€/m² was estimated. For the size of the basement, that would be a mere 50,000€ without considering inflation, so it is probably more like 60,000€.
Now the question arises for me, how urgent is the problem? How damaging is it to the building structure? In my research, I found the recommendation multiple times to seal with a horizontal barrier and then with a vertical barrier from the inside. This would make the basement itself dry, but the masonry would still be wet/damp. Is that even sensible?
Would a sensible ventilation for the basement perhaps already provide relief? The basement is only to be used as storage space and workshop, where I build something every few weeks. So it doesn’t actually need to be as dry as living spaces, but I have also read that the moisture can eventually rise into the ground floor.
Also, the interior walls are most affected, which I cannot explain. Pictures 1 and 4 are exterior walls, pictures 2 and 3 are interior walls.
Thank you very much in advance for your help!