Building Homes or Extensions/Wet floors

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Expert: - 1/25/2010


Question
Hi Bruce

I have recently purchased a downstairs flat which has a bad condensation/damp problem. It was built in the 1920's and is situated on a hill. We recently removed the carpet to paint the walls and although we were aware the carpet had a bad smell we didn't realise that the underlay and floorboards were saturated and may be causing the carpet to smell. Is there anything we can do to dry out floorboards and stop this from happening again?
Thanks. Peter


Answer

french drain
Hi Peter, first of all you need to stop the moisture at its source.  Hillside construction requires that you have adequate drainage around the house.  This is accomplished by grading to encourage water to go around the house and by installing a footing drain which is located deeper and which captures the ground water and diverts it away from the foundation.  As far as drying goes, getting as much circulation of dry air to the location works best.  Most rental places have large construction fans that move a lot of air.  Set one up in a location that funnels the air under the floorboards.  If you have a way to let the air out at the other end, this will increase your drying capacity.  I have attached a simple drawing showing a footing drain.  I hope this information helps, please feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com

Bruce E. Johnson

Expertise

I can answer any construction related question in regards to carpentry, concrete, drywall, masonry, structural elements of any type of building, residential or commercial. Interior or exterior.

Experience

Custom Commercial and residential buildings. Churches, theaters, schools and auditoriums. Most recently I am working with the Catholic Church on several design build committees. I have a website related to scheduling and project supervision. Although my expertise is more related to multimillion dollar commercial, educational and theatrical projects my generous credentials in residential and remodelling construction make me a viable source of information regarding all forms of building questions.

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