[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]The top staircase landing is leaking and it is the concrete that is not watertight. Below this is the crawl space, and here it is not insulated, so it is easy to see that the concrete is wet/damp on the underside and the adjacent wood (beams) is clearly moisture damaged. The only thing I could come up with to prevent further moisture penetration is to lay a new layer of bitumen on top of the current gravel surface and then gravel in this. There is space, but I have no experience with such work and would probably need tips on either how to do it or someone who can help me.
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]The top staircase landing is leaking and it is the concrete that is not watertight. Below this is the crawl space, and here it is not insulated, so it is easy to see that the concrete is wet/damp on the underside and the adjacent wood (beams) is clearly moisture damaged. The only thing I could come up with to prevent further moisture penetration is to lay a new layer of bitumen on top of the current gravel surface and then gravel in this. There is space, but I have no experience with such work and would probably need tips on either how to do it or someone who can help me.
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Are you really sure that it's a leak and not simply that the trapdoor level is colder than the inside of the crawl space, because if so, it might condense on the "ceiling," i.e., the underside of the trapdoor level.
In that case, sealing from above won't help.
In that case, sealing from above won't help.
Last edited:
I believe it is a combination, but an expert, sent by the insurance company to inspect, considered it to be a case of leaky concrete. A fact that supports the latter is that the plane lacks slope, and a neighbor, who had the same problem, solved it by building up a small slope with the help of a thin layer of concrete and on top of that thin tiles, which he believes has been effective. However, I don't see this as an ideal solution. Admittedly, he has achieved better tightness and a smooth surface, which even with a slight slope provides better drainage than the current gravel surface, but on the other hand, the plane now reaches all the way up to the threshold's (wooden) underside, and it must also become very slippery in the winter. In the area there are an additional 200(!) identical houses (40 years old), but I have yet to find anyone else with the same problem. This can probably be explained by the fact that most people do not inspect their crawl spaces very closely. They do not allow for even the slightest hint of claustrophobia; they do not live up to their name. Crawling in them is only possible in parts; most of the time, you have to move by shuffling and squeezing through holes in concrete beams, which are tight even for me (170 cm, 55 kg), so I don't find it particularly pleasant either (I am 74 years old).
Click here to reply