Leaking garage internal wall(which is a concrete block boundary wall with the neighbours)

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NicolaM

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We have a garage , unknown build date. It's front is is at the end of a slope. There is a drain in front of it, which does not extend the whole way across the front of the garage. We recently cleared the dain, so the drain isn't blocked (but isn't fully functional because water can get in to the garage where the drain ends at one side)

The garage wall seems to be constructed from the concrete blocks that are the boundary between our house, and the next,(ie the concrete blocks go from being the boundry wall, to being our garage wall on one side) and the eves of the garage seem to actually extend over into the neighbours property(as well as another property at the back. seems like a very bad idea, but that's what we have). The neighbours do not have a garage on the other side of the wall.

The garage is now leaking on one side, both underneath the new door (because the drain doesn't extend the whole way across the entry) but also it looks like water is seeping through the concrete blocks at the join between the wall we share as the boundary wall with the neighbours/our garage wall, and the front wall of our garage. The roof seems sound.

The wetness is lower down in the wall, and the wall higher up (at the same junction) does not appear damp. We are getting some white mould on that wall and the dampness is causing an issue with storing things in the garage etc.

Has anyone any suggestions?
I know I need to either extend the drain to the very end (if possible), or else create some sort of chanel to redirect the water into the drain,(should sort that issue) but I have no idea what to so about the leak in the concrete wall/garage wall/boundary wall. Would there be any way to seal the join between the garage wall/boundary wall, and the garage front wall? Or any way to seal the blocks?

Given the current situation, any fix is going to have to be DIY based at least temporarily

Thanks for any suggestions
 
NicolaM said:
The garage wall seems to be constructed from the concrete blocks that are the boundary between our house, and the next,(ie the concrete blocks go from being the boundry wall, to being our garage wall on one side)

it looks like water is seeping through the concrete blocks at the join between the wall we share as the boundary wall with the neighbours/our garage wall, and the front wall of our garage.

The wetness is lower down in the wall, and the wall higher up (at the same junction) does not appear damp. We are getting some white mould on that wall and the dampness is causing an issue with storing things in the garage etc.

Has anyone any suggestions?

I have no idea what to so about the leak in the concrete wall/garage wall/boundary wall. Would there be any way to seal the join between the garage wall/boundary wall, and the garage front wall? Or any way to seal the blocks?
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Sounds like your neighbour’s site is higher than yours, it’s not a big problem if water seeps through a garden wall from a higher adjoining site into a side passage or garden, if you then build a garage up against that wall, the water is seeping into your garage.

Whoever built the garage should have built a new wall leaving a side passage or a channel rather than using the existing garden wall.

The solution to this part of your problem might be to dig below your level on your neighbours side and plaster or seal in some other way the lower part of neighbours side of the wall. Don't think you could ever seal it properly from your side,

I have no expertise in this regard but a neighbour had a similar problem and that is how it was resolved.

The water coming under the garage door is a separate issue.
 
Thanks Twofor1. I think the neighbours property is at the same level as ours.The sites slope from the front of the houses, to the back of the properties.

It's really sloppy work to use the adjoining wall the way it was done.
 
Some mistake dampness lower down on a wall as rising damp, but in the vast majority of cases the problem is above and gravity results in dampness falling with the lower wall reaching saturation point.

Short term, you may need to access your neighbours property to fix issues with guttering along that side. If the blockwork isn't rendered gutter issues will just allow lots of water soak into the wall.
 
Thanks Leo. there's definitely a bottom damp issue (from water that isn't going into the drain in front of the garage), but I'' get on the ladder and look at the gutters. It's unlikely they have been cleaned for years.

Do you think rendering the wall might help as well? (I presume you mean plastering?)
 
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