Damp Single skin wall

[Hunterlit]

We have an external wall in our kitchen that is very damp. I have measured the height of the wall both outside and inside, and the ground outside is roughly 300mm higher than inside. It is a single-skin brick wall. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that at some point, the ground outside has been raised and has bridged the DPC. My plans are:

1. Create a channel outside with a DPC membrane in the channel, lapped up to the wall and finished with gravel. My partner isn't keen on this idea.
2. Use Dryrods from inside, below the ground level outside.

Number 1 is my preferred method, and I'm a bit hesitant about using a liquid DPC because some people say they don't work. Also someone has repointed parts of the wall with sand and cement instead of lime, which I think may be causing issues; however, I don't believe it is causing as much of a problem as the ground level being raised.

 

[Orifice]

There is an element of "snake oil" with things like dryrods. Ultimately you're not addressing the root cause unless you drop the ground level below the DPC

 

[Trifid]

Why don't you think it is condensation? Single brick walls are very cold on the inside and kitchens are humid places.

 

[ChroniC]

As the above poster said. You have two problems. You either have rising damp or condensation from the temp.. If your getting black mold all over the wall it's very likely condensation. If it's damp patch rising from the bottom them it's the DPC...

The only thing imo you can do to insulate a single skin is to cover the wall with some celotex and plasterboard, but I'd hazard a guess if it's in a kitchen you have cupboards/work surfaces on it, so that's gona make life harder.

You could probably tell the difference by getting a water meter thingy and testing if the brick is absorbing water. If the bricks dry but your getting mildew, it's really a condensation thing.

I have had similar and you'd be suprised how much difference good ventilation or radiators in the right place makes. Open the window and let the boiling water out, otherwise it's gona stick to the cold surface.