Scheduled visit
Damp on a wall beside a raised planter
An internal wall develops damp, flaking paint or salts on the side that backs onto an external planter. The planter is irrigated daily, and its water is soaking through into the villa's wall.
Waterproofing
Active ingress during rain is prioritised. Tracing and permanent repair are scheduled once the source is identified.
Call nowRequest an inspection on WhatsApp01LIKELY CAUSES
What usually sits behind this symptom, and what tells one cause from another.
Planter built against the wall without a membrane
Damp aligns with the planter's soil level; no membrane found on inspection.
Failed planter waterproofing or blocked drainage
Water ponding in the planter; weep holes blocked.
Irrigation over-watering the planter
Damp tracks irrigation schedule; soil saturated.
02BEFORE ANYONE VISITS
What you can safely check.
- Compare the damp line on the inside with the soil level outside.
- Reduce irrigation to that planter for a week and watch.
- Check whether planter weep holes are draining.
- Note whether damp worsens after irrigation runs.
03WHAT WE MEASURE
We take moisture readings on both sides of the wall, check planter drainage and the irrigation schedule, and, where needed, open a section of the planter to inspect whether a membrane exists and whether it has failed.
04IN A VILLA
Villas often have raised planters built against external walls during landscaping, sometimes without the waterproofing that should separate soil and wall. Daily irrigation keeps the wall permanently wet.
05THE FIX
Which repair, and when.
Constant moisture drives salts into the wall and keeps damaging internal finishes.
Adjust irrigation and clear drainage
Over-watering or blocked weeps are the cause.
Empty the planter and waterproof the wall
There is no membrane or it has failed.
Separate the planter from the wall
A permanent fix needs a gap or a new structure.
06Typical villa waterproofing work
Quoted after survey — always
Cost is driven almost entirely by what the tracing finds and how much has to be lifted to reach it. We do not price waterproofing over the phone, because a number given before the source is located is a guess.
07QUESTIONS
- Can I just treat the inside wall?
- Not effectively — the water comes from the planter side and must be stopped there.
- Does the planter have to be demolished?
- Not usually. Emptying and waterproofing it is often enough.