Hi,
Well said Doug.
I'm glad it's not mine being in such poor condition. I note you live here in the UK and if anywhere near or in Yorkshire you're property will be subjected to lots of rainfall aggravating the problem. Don't despair though; warmer weather is here and hopefully things will dry out a bit allowing you to get on top of this water ingress. It certainly needs treating with urgency and the first course of action is common sense; you are aware water is gaining access so this definitely needs to be sorted out; water in or under a property like this is very bad news not only causing health issues but also damage to your building and if left unchecked it will quickly become a whole lot worse.
I'd lift the paving flags and excavate the area by the wall digging down to expose the foundations assuming there are foundations; inspect any lower bricks to see if they are porous; inspect pointing especially wall to foundation mortar joint; make good any holes however small; water must not be allowed to gain access.
Looking at the pictures though there appears to be a paving flag in the bottom course in the wall and it's hollow beneath this? As Doug rightly says if you cannot do this work yourself or make an evaluation of the problem it's long overdue to get a professional in; I don't like the look of it at all and the ground is sodden against the wall. Does the conservatory actually have any proper foundations?
It's very difficult to suggest a plan of action without seeing the problem first hand; paying a professional to inspect it would be a good start and work from the report at least then you'll know the worst and how to go about repairs. If you can do the work yourself then you'll save quite a bit of money but I stress the work needs doing to an high standard or it will be a total waste of time and money.
Have you inspected under the floor to see if it is a localized problem or is water seeping in elsewhere too. If it's localized then it should be much easier to rectify. I've had my share of water ingress but I'm an experienced DIY'er; I tend to go way over the top in order to do a job and do the job once only; the pictures below show the work I carried out buying best materials and taking my time.
Kind regards, Colin.
Leaking mortar joint kitchen wall to foundation.
Mortar joint made good then to be doubly sure a course of engineering bricks were fully mortar bedded at the joint.
Not satisfied with just doing this repair I installed flood defences too in the form of a channel to divert any water to the side of the bungalow allowing it to discharge harmlessly.
I don't do easy I always do it the hard way and do it once. I saved a lot of money doing the job myself and I bought top quality materials.
No one would guess the amount of work carried out under the patio; I even modified the drains sealing them as seen so leaves and debris can no longer cause a problem.
Our garage beneath the bungalow; another failed mortar joint.
The wall is a supporting wall so great care had to be taken only removing a short section at a time.
Each section was allowed to dry overnight before moving to the next section.
Please note new DPC; engineering bricks are a must and I used mortar waterproofing. These jobs are labour intensive hence they are usually expensive to get someone in; it's very easy though for a novice to make matters an whole lot worse; if in any doubt at all don't attempt such repairs. Our bungalow was full of leaks; when we moved in 32 years ago Bron and I physically replaced the entire roof; we've not had training in this kind of work but we thoroughly researched it before making a start. Desperation was our driving force and although now we can easily afford to get someone in we never do.
