Examination of dampness problems of a historic house

Abstract

The study involves the examination of the dampness problems of a historic house, Nebahat Tabak House in Basmane District in zmir. The cause of dampness problems of the house was due to the rain penetration at the ground and first floors since the roof was damaged. In the basement however, dampness was felt but the cause was not so obvious. Therefore, the investigation was concentrated in the basement. Moisture contents and the temperature of the wall surfaces were determined by non-destructive techniques; by electrical conductivity measurements and infrared thermography. The results were evaluated in the light of physical properties, moisture and soluble salt contents of the materials, outdoor and indoor climatic conditions, the layout of the site and architectural features of the building.The results of the study revealed that most of the moisture was concentrated at the lower parts of the walls indicating rising damp. In addition to rising damp the faulty details detected at the intersection line of the terraces of the neighbor buildings, basement windows and the street also produce rain water leaks in addition to insufficient ventilation conditions in the basement.Condensation was not detected during the survey times which were usually noontimes. However, some cool zones having the risk of condensation at mornings and night time were observed.In the light of these findings, some alternative solutions for the faulty details have been proposed.