rain leaking into front bedroom

[yellowjohn]

i have double glazed windows and the window sills are the old fashioned concrete ones. After the awful rain the other night i found quite a lot of water had come in and was on my laminate floor. also my front door is a solid wooden one in a wooden frame that also sits on a concrete small step, rain also got in and was on the laminate floor.
I have checked outside on both, last year i put new mastic round the windows because it happened before but not so much water that time and it hasn't happened since until the other day.

Still cannot see how its getting in, any ideas would be welcome.

many thanks

[The Builder]

I guess you have solid external walls, john........ not modern cavity?

I can only guess, but it sounds like water penetration. Masonry works by absorbing water, then letting it evaporate. Obvious enough of course, but prolonged or direct rain can "overload" masonry fairly quickly. In a cavity wall, there's a dampcourse "tray" above the window which sheds water safely outside. With a solid wall, it simply soaks its way into the interior.

Direct rain can penetrate 9 or 10 inches (up to 250mm) to give damp patches quite easily.......... even through render.

With timber doors and frames, it can be an ongoing problem even with weatherseals and threshold barriers. It takes a lot to rainproof them fully. One of the reasons people have porches............. or, go over to multi-sealed uPVC doors and frames. Not everyone's preference of course, but in some weather-facing situations, porches or uPVC can be the only way to go.
You may find solutions after some trial and error, but it is a very common problem.

[yellowjohn]

The Builder, thanks for your reply.

The house does have cavity walls (built about 1926)
The kids found the water in there bedroom in the morning, the puddle came about 2 1/2ft- 3 feet across the laminate floor

Just found out my neighbours had exactly the same the other day with the rain getting in the windows and doors.

thanks again