Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

[hammies13]

2 internal walls in my garage are soaked at the moment so my car is sitting on the drive shivering. If I post some pics at the weekend is there anyone on the site (builders/other?) that can tell me if I can solve the problem myself; or if I need to get a professional in to fix it? it's all going horribly wrong at the moment

[astrachamp]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

is it rising damp, or is the water running down from a leaky roof?

[Guest]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

What is your garage built from, may be condensation forming, very high humidity at the moment and needs more ventilation or a dehumidifier

[hammies13]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

Apologies for lack of detail...

It's a basic detached garage (mine is the left one, my neighbours is the right one); it's made of blocks with a flat roof; the left and rear walls have been skimmed fairly thinly and aren't painted; at the back there's a fairly thick hedge.

The left rear corner has always been wet; I don't know why and I think the hedge makes it worse. The whole of the left wall is soaked for the first time; could it be because it hasn't been sealed/painted.

I don't know if the problem is the building itself; can post some pics at the weekend.

[astrachamp]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

Apologies for lack of detail...

It's a basic detached garage (mine is the left one, my neighbours is the right one); it's made of blocks with a flat roof; the left and rear walls have been skimmed fairly thinly and aren't painted; at the back there's a fairly thick hedge.

The left rear corner has always been wet; I don't know why and I think the hedge makes it worse. The whole of the left wall is soaked for the first time; could it be because it hasn't been sealed/painted.

I don't know if the problem is the building itself; can post some pics at the weekend.

stop growing hedges inside your garage

[hammies13]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

stop growing hedges inside your garage

If only that was the problem; I'd be out there now digging the bugger up

[neil105]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

i take it the damp is at the bottom of the corner/walls?
is there a soil build up outside, dig a trench around the building
and fill it with gravel no fines it will help keep the wet of the walls.
i'm surprised the hedge don't suck the soil dry,you can get a sillicone
wall treatment,its sprayed

[richie00boy]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

I'd check for a leaking roof or any external cracks with this rainy weather we are having. Just spraying some sealant on the wall is a very bad idea if you are unsure what is causing the wetness, you could just seal the wet in and it will crumble apart one day.

[hammies13]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

i take it the damp is at the bottom of the corner/walls?
is there a soil build up outside, dig a trench around the building
and fill it with gravel no fines it will help keep the wet of the walls.
i'm surprised the hedge don't suck the soil dry,you can get a sillicone
wall treatment,its sprayed

Neil I've cleared the back of the garage of debris; it's wet pretty much top to bottom into the corner. You're right about the hedge (laurel), it does suck the soil dry; makes me think the problem is higher up as the hedge is quite close and makes it shady and dark at the back. I'll post some pics as soon as poss to give you a clearer picture, thanks for your help

[hammies13]

Re: Soaked garage walls; suggestions?

I'd check for a leaking roof or any external cracks with this rainy weather we are having. Just spraying some sealant on the wall is a very bad idea if you are unsure what is causing the wetness, you could just seal the wet in and it will crumble apart one day.

Richie I don't think there are any cracks, my guess is that it wasn't finished very well when it was built. Had the roof done about 5-6yrs ago because I thought that was the problem; seemed to help a bit with the wet corner but didn't solve it completely. Found the left wall wet this week; there's been lots of rain so I'm hoping it's just that it's been seeping through the blocks? Would appreciate you opinion on the pics when posted