Summerhouse Getting Damp Over Winter

[thefamousdevlin]

We have a summer house that was installed by the previous owners. Can't afford to replace it for a few years so would appreciate some ideas of how to stop it from getting so damp over the winter.

What is the best way to treat the walls?

Can we do anything at ground level to keep the damp away? The garden gets very wet.

I'm thinking about installing a glamping wood burning stove in there, which might help.

Thank you

Devlin

[dewaltdisney]

I think that looks like leaks have caused damp in some areas on the walls and that moisture has condensed on cold spots causing the ceiling stains. So firstly check the roof felt is sound and check for any guttering blockages causing spilling down the exterior walls. Obviously, the constant atmospheric changes in an unheated building will see dampness forming and a constant low heat would help but there is an expense to having even low heat of say 10 degrees on a thermostat.

DWD

[Someone-Else]

I also wonder why the guttering on the 2nd from last picture is such an odd angle, I wonder is the rain overshooting it and running down the wall. (It's very green) You can remove the mould with water and bleach, a bucket and cloth. Also is there any ventilation? Maybe lift and relay the slabs so they have a fall away from the "cabin" and not lay flat.

[London mike 61]

As DWD says, first check the roofing felt because you may not see any breaks in the felt ( although there could be ) but if the felt is 5 years or older then the felt needs replacing because it’s reached the end of its life.
We had a similar issue with our cabin , the cabin was 5 1/2 years old when my wife noticed that water was penetrating into the cabin from above and pooling on the floor after heavy rain. I got on the roof and checked very inch of the felt but couldn’t find a single hole , tear or loose end. So in the end I bit the bullet and bought some higher quality felt, stripped off the old felt and re covered the roof. No leaks since doing that a couple of years ago.
I replaced one of the end gable slats that holds the felt down because it had rotted a bit , but apart from that all is well.

Mike

Mike

[thefamousdevlin]

Thank you all for this. I have replaced the felt and added waterproof underlay so, hopefully, it will stay drier.
I am also looking at putting a glamping wood burner in there to help dry it out and make it useable in the winter.

My concern is that it really wasn't built high enough. Does such a thing exist as paint on silicon that would waterproof the bottom of the exterior walls? Is there anything else I can do to keep water away from the base of the summer house? I am trying to keep the gulleys between the paving slabs clear so that water runs away in them.

Devlin

[thefamousdevlin]

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