Water is persistent and rarely announces where it got in. The damp patch on the wall may be a long way from the defect that feeds it.
Common routes
Penetrating moisture typically enters through defective rainwater goods, failed flashings and roof coverings, cracked renders, poorly detailed junctions, raised ground levels and blocked sub-floor ventilation. In traditional solid-wall buildings, hard cement pointing and renders can also trap moisture that the wall would once have released harmlessly by evaporation.
Following the pathway
We trace moisture from source to symptom: inspecting the external envelope, examining junctions and concealed details, and using comparative moisture readings, thermal imaging and monitoring where the route is not obvious. Wind-driven rain, exposure and the building's construction are all considered; what matters is how this building manages water, not how a textbook building would.
Fixing causes, not symptoms
Once the routes are established, the remedy is usually straightforward and often modest: repairing rainwater disposal, renewing a flashing, lowering ground levels, reinstating breathable finishes. Internal "damp-proofing" that hides the symptom while the wall stays wet is not a repair.
← Back to Building Pathology