High-set houses and why they cannot be effectively converted to 2 storey without creating serious problems.
Conversion of high-set house and defects they iccur. QBIS.
Slab of a high-set house with high moisture meter readings.
Rising damp most likely from lack of a plastic membrane below the slab. Moisture meter readings where much higher than acceptable for conversion of a previous garage-laundry to a living area. This problem cannot be rectified effectively with guarantees and can affect inhabitants.
Lower external single brick walls of high-set house.
Seepage and rising damp will occur to single brick walls from lack of damp-course barriers, weep-holes and rebate to slab edges. They must not be covered with any type of material otherwise this will trap moisture and cause rot and may attract termites. These problems cannot be effectively overcome without serious consequences.
Seepage to sub-floor area from balcony above.
The area directly below a balcony was being used as a living room without any protection from water coming through. Balconies are difficult to have properly water proofed so it is never advisible to have a living space below them without the problem of seepage occuring.
What you need to know about conversion of high-set house and their defects.
- Water entry will occur at ground level from insufficient height differences between paving and sub-floor slab.
- Seepage through brick walls from bricks being porous.
- Rising damp to brick walls from lack of damp-course barriers
- Damp rising from below the slab due to lack of vapor barrier.
The bottom line is that a high-set house cannot be effectively converted to a 2 storey house without creating many serious problems with the building and may cause health and respiratory problems with inhabitants of the ground floor.
ABCB: Dampcourse requirements in external brick walls
ABCB: Ceiling Height requirements for habitable areas