Just when it was all going so well..........

We had to have the whole of our downstairs concrete floors replaced a few years ago. Living room, kitchen and hall all dug out at a cost of £10,000. We had to move out for 6 months and the workmen damaged the kitchen and had to put a new one in. Also the whole of the downstairs had to be redecorated. Fortunately the insurance covered it otherwise I don't know what we would have done.

Make sure the door fits properly, so you don't get water coming in. I can't see a porch solving the problem, quite honestly.

A rubber-backed doormat the same width as the door ought to prevent water lying on the new floor. They are not pretty, but they do the job.

We have a front door opening out in our porch, not had any rain problems, but do have to be careful when opening the door to visitors as everyone who doesn't know stands too close and gets hit by it.

The builder is going to lift the floor tomorrow, so we will see what is underneath.

Fingers crossed that it will be something easily fixed!

You need to find out where the damp is coming from, adding a porch on doesn't solve the problem.

My front and back upvc doors, which are in alignment, both drip from the rainbar when opened but I have thick mats - in the back there is a laminate floor and a doormat (a highly absorbable one as advertised for muddy pet paws) on the inside, in the front is a porch with a thick carpet and also a door mat. I have never seen an outside door opening out - if it is pouring with rain the inside would get wet when it opens, then drip onto the inside floor when shut.

We once lived in a lovely house with wonderful views. It was constructed from two early 19th century cottages that had been joined together, with the original gap between them being the entrance hallway.

Water started coming in round the front door posts; so we pulled up the carpet to see what was going on and found.........the concrete of the hall floor stopped and there were 2 quarter circles of bare earth into which the door posts were "planted"! When we dug down we found that they really had been planted - each was bedded in a plastic flower pot!

How did that ever get by the buildings regs I wonder? - and indeed escape the notice of the surveyor to whom we paid serious money for a report?

Now there's a thought shysal! I shall pick Ian's brain when he comes to have a look.

If you have a porch added the door will probably open outwards so you shouldn't get the dripping problem. Alternatively you could just change the front door to open outwards.

Yes, it does have a rain bar, but not sure how effective it is!

Pretty sure it's not coming up from below.

We've always had a problem with the bit of skirting board by the side of the door, it's been repainted umpteen times but looks like it's starting to rot

Our lovely trusted local builder is going to pop up one evening and have a look.

The new floor is booked to be laid on May 2nd, so hoping it won't have to be rescheduled

The damp may be coming from below. Check that the door and porch area hasn't taken the earth and surface above the damp proof course.

DD had a problem with damp in her cloakroom because it used to be the coal store and the floor level was below the damp proof course. She got a tin of waterproof mastic and liberally coated the floor and first six inches of the bottom of the walls, so that the whole area below the DPC was fully coated and tanked. She then tiled it using a damp proof tile cement. Problem solved.

Consider using waterproof mastic to tank the area where the wood has rotted, before laying new flooring will solve the problem.

However the first thing to do is to find where the damp is coming from. I think it is much more likely to be coming through the wall/floor than through the door.

Does your front door not have a rain bar, basically a bit at the bottom that sticks out to stop rain running down and under the door. If you have one it shouldn't be allowing water in.

We have a porch with the porch front door at right angles. To get new furniture in dh and sons took out the lounge window double glazed sealed unit 8’ wide !! I was standing in front saying No Way. This was at 8pm on a Saturday evening. I had visions of ending up with a tarpaulin over the opening. However it worked even though it was completed in the dark.

We have a upvc door, with one of those ledges on, but when the door is opened, rain drips off it on to the floor inside.

I think the prevailing wind direction may have something to do with it.

I suggested one of those canopy things but "himself" doesn't think that will solve the problem

I don’t understand why your DH thinks a porch would sort the problem. We have a porch but it isn’t to keep the place dry. Wouldn’t renewing the floor then sealing the area sort it?

Check out eBay for a second hand one Phoenix, I couldn’t believe the prices of new ones!

Wouldn’t a good pvc door stop the problem? Either inside and/ or as the external door in the porch? All the houses in the street where I live have porches with doors in line with the front door. - it has not been a problem. Is there something unusual about your house - does water lay outside the door and rise above the lintel?