How much for new Damp Proof Course.

Toptenor · 18 December 2010 at 7:53PM

David_Aldred wrote: »

Hi Toptenor & Thunderbird,
The Portsmouth study as far as I am aware is currently within the Members section on the Property Care Association website so is not fully out there on the web at present but I guess it will only be a matter of time before it is. There is nothing secret or particularly new within the document and basically it just discusses the mechanisms for how rising dampness can occur in walls under the right conditions when no effective dpc is present both here and abroad including examples of how others have looked at the problem. It does not really cover how common the problem is within UK housing stock, the difficultly for people to properly confirm rising damp without laboratory analysis, nor how common true rising damp to properties that already have a dpc is within the UK but when the study does filter through to the web in general it is worth a read if you are wanting to know a little about how water can rise by capillarity. Other than that there is plenty of good information on the subject already out there both in books and on the web.

With regard to Thunderbird's query installing a physical sheet dpc of say pitch polymer in the way you describe if done correctly should give a very effective dpc. It is not as common as the chemical dpc's due to the disruption and labour costs. As regards it being safe ;again it comes down to the skill of those undertaking the work but again if done correctly it should be quite safe. If you are having to replace the outer brickwork in any case and you can put up with the disturbance / stand the costs then it would make sense in that case to go with this option given the pitch polymer dpc is a physical barrier to rising dampness compared to the other remedial systems which when done correctly at best will only control rising dampness to a point that is perceived to be dry, that is to say some degree of rising dampness may still occur that would have to be held back by a reliance upon the re-plastering system.

One thing to bear in mind is the external 9" solid walls will still be cold and prone to condensation / penetrating dampness and rather than simply re-plaster internally you might want to consider waterproof grade insulated dry lining with appropriate vapour barriers to improve the situation in addition to ensuring the outside face of the wall is breathable including mortar / render. Hard dense cement mortars / renders should be avoided because of this issue and true lime mortars / renders are preferred

I expect I'll get shot down in flames but since this sounds like penetrating damp would it not be possible to render the walls externally.

On another point mainly relative to plumbers.
In one my houses there was a disused 22mm copper pipe ( original function was to drain central heating system) This is common in Scotland with an internal drain valve connected by a pipe to outside the building. This copper pipe had been clipped to a joist which ran up to the outside wall where the pipe went through the wall. During cold weather the pipe got very cold and copper being a very good conductor meant the pipe was cold 5/6 feet inside the solum. Youv'e guessed it condensation was occuring along the pipe, soaking the joist resulting in wet rot .

Another plumber's faux pas. A central heating copper pipe was clipped with a steel saddle( probably electrician's for fixing conduit) anyway dissimilar metals in contact, corrosion followed and 5 years later a pin hole appeared in the pipe under the floor. That took some finding!

stuwegie · 22 December 2010 at 8:55PM

Ive been reading this post with interest.
Im about to purchase a ground floor flat (1900 Edinburgh Tenement)
The home report however states that there is damp in the walls which will cost in the region of £3500 to resolve (the home report came with a quote from a damp proofing company). Im simply wondering if this would be a waste of time and money based on the information i've been reading. There are no visible signs on any of the walls in the property and the current occupier stated they knew nothing about the problem until the home report (although they would be foolish to state otherwise wouldn't they)
This problem is a real deal-breaker on the property, my solicitor is urging us to stay away because of the rising damp saying it will only get worse, and would be a recurring problem even if treated. Would i be wise to take his advice?

David_Aldred · 23 December 2010 at 10:40AM

Hi Stuwegie,
Without looking at the property in detail it would be impossible to give an opinion on whether a new dpc with associated re-plastering was justified or not. We could take a reasonable guess that your surveyor found high electrical damp meter readings at their inspection such as to recommend the damp-proofing company inspect. If that damp proofing company have not undertaken laboratory analysis of wall samples in the areas of concern then they have not actually proven true rising dampness is occurring and are giving an opinion as to why they think the property has high electrical damp meter readings in the areas of concern which from your post they have concluded the reason is rising dampness.

Whilst we cannot know whether their opinion is correct or not from the information given, you do have to consider that you need to get to the bottom of why these readings are there, whether they will as your solicitor suggests become more widespread or not and how if not resolved these could be detrimental to any future sale of the property if you bought it and attempted to sell it at a later date. Whilst it would be lovely to find out that such readings were only due to condensation or some minor penetrating dampness we do not know if they relate to something more serious such as true rising dampness other than what the damp-proofing contractor has concluded. At the very least you need to protect yourself from suffering a loss in a worst case scenario.

You could get a second opinion from an independent specialist surveyor which may be helpful with regard to making a balanced decision upon whether the property is right for you or not. Kindest regards & Merry Xmas, Dave

Toptenor · 23 December 2010 at 3:23PM

I'd be inclined to go ahead and buy. The fact that this problem has come up should enable you to get the flat at a good price. This house has stood the test of time being built more than a hundred years ago. I take it they haven't mentioned anything about rot in the floors. The chances are there is no damp proof course, although we lived in a house in Redding near Falkirk which was built about the same time and did have a damp proof course. Every wall is going to have a percentage of moisture in it, but does it matter. I don't think so, only if the wallpaper is falling off the wall or there is fungus growing do you have a problem.
Does it look like the walls have just been decorated/painted. Also you haven't said what their quote was for. Was it for a chemical damp proof course by any chance?
If it was I would become very suspicious!

repoker24 · 4 January 2011 at 11:02PM

Hi All,

Can any of you knowledgeable lads give me any pointers to what may be causing this small damp patch?

I have a 1930s semi and about two years the downstairs cloakroom sink pipe burst/split (it was one of those flexi pipes fitted from cooper pipe to tap).

Anyway we had to have the walls re-plastered; now two years later at the bottom only about 12 inches long and about 8 inches high the paint is peeling. I have check outside and the wall seems ok. There is an airbrick directly outside where damp is occurring on inside.

This airbrick is only about half an inch from ground level if that. Could this cause the damp on the inside?

Ps I am an average diyer and was thinking about putting in a telescopic plastic airbrick from Screwfix to see if this solves the problem. Any feedback I would be grateful.

Thanks

Kilty_2 · 5 January 2011 at 8:51PM

stuwegie wrote: »

Ive been reading this post with interest.
Im about to purchase a ground floor flat (1900 Edinburgh Tenement)
The home report however states that there is damp in the walls which will cost in the region of £3500 to resolve (the home report came with a quote from a damp proofing company). Im simply wondering if this would be a waste of time and money based on the information i've been reading. There are no visible signs on any of the walls in the property and the current occupier stated they knew nothing about the problem until the home report (although they would be foolish to state otherwise wouldn't they)
This problem is a real deal-breaker on the property, my solicitor is urging us to stay away because of the rising damp saying it will only get worse, and would be a recurring problem even if treated. Would i be wise to take his advice?

Any update on this? I'm looking at a 1900s ground floor tenement flat in Glasgow with similar reports on the Home Report.

spursflyer · 11 January 2011 at 12:35PM

Hi ,

We have been looking at a nice cottage in Suffolk which is plain simple two up , two down probably late 1850's - early 1900's build . The living room seems fine but the kitchen has loose plaster and dampness in the walls . the kitchen is approx 9ft x 8ft . Upstairs in the two bedrooms the plaster on the outside walls close to the the double glazed windows is also showing a lot of signs of dampness and is crumbling in places to a small degree . The outside wall on both bedrooms is no greater than 12ft long . We are aware that the owners have been using it as a holiday home and have not visited the property for around a year and are well into their seventies and have left no heating on in the property whatsoever to counter act any dampness in the property from forming . Has anyone any ideas what the worst case scenario is going to cost us to put right ? We have 15k to spend but we would need to spend some of this on a new kitchen and bathroom which we had been sourcing from a local auction centre where they are about to handle a sale on behalf of the Official Receiver where a kitchen company has gone bust . In addition we may need to spend some more on rectifying / replacing the central heating system .

Running_Horse · 11 January 2011 at 12:43PM

A lot of very long posts I don't have time to read, but will share my experience.

The timber and damp certificate is only useful for waving under the noses of buyers and their surveyors. Under virtually no circumstances will you ever be able to claim under one. More likely you will be charged a lot of money to even look at their own shoddy work, only to be told its not their fault but they can remedy the problem, at full cost.

This was with a reputable company registered under the council's fair traders scheme.

denbo007 · 21 January 2011 at 3:22PM

Hi again
What a lot of difference of opinions here? I did damp injection for a few years cheaper than any quoted by a long way, did a 3 month follow up inspection, 20yrs guarantee but people always went to the ones with the nice new VANs?
Anyway I once did one property where the damp went up into the back bedroom no burst pipes, no gutters nothing just damp: DO NOT let anyone just drill two 2” holes into a brick and say that’s it from my experience this is rubbish. I always injected the mortar (before they came out with this so called new idea)? Anyway the entire wall in the kitchen had to be stripped of plaster and a foot or so into the above bedroom it was that bad but I did stop it. I called back 3 times to check the damp levels and once I was happy I got the walls plastered, Job done.
Another property was a 12ft wall damp up to 2mtrs up the wall took off all the plaster; well it fell off to be honest. Asked if he had a cellar, he did, so I went down and found the joist very wet, this needed further investigation. As I was coming back into the room I asked where this door lead he said the show room that’s it I thought coming through the tile joints; but no all was sound. I placed my ear on the bath taps and could hear a swishing sound I knew he had a bust pipe, took the tiles off the wall and found a covered over stop tap leaking. Solved that one as well insurance paid up in full so everyone happy. So it just goes to show? You need to look for the cause before there can be a cure? hope this helps someone

Toptenor · 25 January 2011 at 8:08PM

Kilty wrote: »

Any update on this? I'm looking at a 1900s ground floor tenement flat in Glasgow with similar reports on the Home Report.

If its of any use to you I have recently bought a house in Paisley.
The old lady selling the house was quoted £5000 to fix RISING DAMP.
There was a strong damp smell within the house. He stuck his moisture meter against the walls - it shone red!!
Oh dear, a company specialising in curing dampness was called in.
Rising damp was declared and the quote given. Chemical DPC to be installed!!
I would not call myself an expert as this surveyor no doubt would.
My findings;
House has been lying empty for months with all trickle vents firmly shut.
Underfelt under kitchen carpet is completely saturated (concrete floor)
DPC has been bridged at back garden.
Air bricks under floor are completely blocked.
Wet underfelt traced to leak in central heating (source of damp smell and condensation in walls.)
Wet rot to two joists caused by bridging of DPC.
Carried out repairs myself, cost just under £100.
I just don't trust these chemical DPC salesmen!!!

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How much for new Damp Proof Course.

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