Damp Survey confusion....

Katsa · 10 March 2017 at 2:18PM

Hiya,

I do not know really where to go from here. I am a first time buyer and so far it hasn't been as smooth as i would hope

I just got a damp specialist survey back and i find it odd and confusing, I am hoping other people on here have also been through this and can maybe help explain some of the things that cropped up on the report.

Note: When visiting the property i couldnt see much in the way of damp....no tide marks, however there was old peeling wallpaper and no horrid dark patches.

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FINDINGS

After the consideration of the pattern of moisture readings recorded it is recommended that in order to control further rising damp, damp proof treatments in accordance with BS6576 are inserted in accordance with the scheme of treatment indicated on the attached plan.

ESTIMATE FOR DAMP PROOF COURSING.
£ 572.00

RECOMMENDATIONS.

2 No disused flues at ground floor level should be ventilated.

HYGROSCOPIC SALTS

In order to prevent possible future dampness problems due to hygroscopic salts, re-plastering in strict accordance with the British Wood Preserving and Damp Proofing Association/ Property Care Association guidelines is recommended.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF MOISTURE.

1) The main gable end has areas of hollow and cracked rendering.

High level inspection is recommended.

2) Dampness was evident to the right hand side of the rear extension chimney breast where there is a pipe boxing. Further investigation will be necessary in this area.

As the external sources of moisture and your intentions regarding the fireplace, dry lining etc are not known, we are not able to provide estimates for associated building work.

However, it is likely that internal re plastering to a height of at least 1m to walls scheduled for damp proof coursing is likely to be in the region of

£ 2,200.00 + VAT
Excluding re decoration

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Does that price seem reasonable?

I am not sure what is needed to be done immediately as there is risk and what is possibly a nice to have?

It seems like an awful lot of money when i can't even see it? I have been told surveyor reports tend to look worse than what it is.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

we are sadly past our cooling off period on the mortgage acceptance so if we back out now it would cost us....however if the above is needed and could cost more i am not sure we can afford it. Gaarrgghh nothing is ever simple eh

FreeBear · 10 March 2017 at 2:39PM

Katsa wrote: »

I just got a damp specialist survey back and i find it odd and confusing, I am hoping other people on here have also been through this and can maybe help explain some of the things that cropped up on the report.

Note: When visiting the property i couldnt see much in the way of damp....no tide marks, however there was old peeling wallpaper and no horrid dark patches.

You had one of these free "surveys" didn't you. It is a sales pitch for expensive work that is generally unnecessary and further work will be needed in another ten years time.

Ventilating the disused chimneys and repairs to the external render are probably the only points you need to consider. The render, if lime, should be sympathetically repaired - Not with cement, acrylics, or painted with Sandtex (or similar) paints.

Some photos of the house along with some idea of how old it is would help.

I've also got peeling wallpaper, and no doubt would be quoted for no end of expensive remedial work. The wallpaper has been up for over thirty years and have had bouts of condensation. Fixing issues such as leaking downpipes, dislodged roof tiles, and generally warming the place up a few degrees has helped considerably.

Katsa · 10 March 2017 at 2:52PM

Hi thanks for the quick reply

i did not have a free survey done, this is the 2nd paid for survey. The first was the valuation survey, who said they are ok with everything but get a damp specialist in to take a look at some stuff. So i paid for a local damp and timber specialist.

Strangely enough there is an entire page dedicated on how to mix plaster...i guess its helpful if i want to do it myself but seems out of place.

To answer some other questions, the house is approx 112 years old, semi detached and is made of solid stone/brick and a solid ground floor.

As for pictures i did not get any pictures in the report specifically pointing where the issues are.

FreeBear · 10 March 2017 at 3:03PM

Katsa wrote: »

To answer some other questions, the house is approx 112 years old, semi detached and is made of solid stone/brick and a solid ground floor.

In which case, you most certainly do not want the tanking/plastering system applied to the walls - All this will do is push the moisture in to the floor and aggravate any damp issues that might currently exist.

If the mortgage company is insisting on a damp report, then you need a company that has experience of old properties, their construction, and appropriate long term treatments. If you pop over to http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/ I'm sure someone can recommend a proper surveyor who knows about older properties.

Katsa · 10 March 2017 at 3:33PM

Ok so it sounds like the gable end should be done and the ventilation first. I keep reading different things about "rising damp" some sites say it isn't a thing and chemical treatments are a waste and others say it does.

I could hold off on that stuff (damp proof course and re-plastering)....as long as the house wont become dangerous if i don't repair it in the first few months. Then get a different surveyor in for a more thorough inspection.

The mortgage company ins't wanting a damp survey, they accepted the application (they just recommended we get one for ourselves).

My worry is immediate costs before moving in once the property is bought. I wont be able to afford thousands to fix stuff before moving in and redecorate.

Thank you for the link, i will check it out to look.

ST1991 · 10 March 2017 at 4:03PM

Not sure if this helps, but we bought our first house a few months ago. Oddly it was estimated 1900 build, but the old owner popped round with original deeds a few weeks ago that date to mid 1800's so i'm confused, but nevermind!

Ours too is solid stone walls, concrete floors.
We had 2 damp quotes, both around the same ballpark figure but only one offering to tank every wall.
We couldn't initially afford the £££££ but since moving in and airing the house out it has got dramatically better.
We stripped the damp wallpaper, cut down the grape vine growing up the back of the house and moved everything away from the exterior walls. Heat, open windows, repeat.

The back of the house is still damp, but i think it will take months to dry out.
The tenant who lived here for 8 years before it was sold never opened a single window, painted over the wallpaper every year to get rid of the 'damp smell' and had a non condensing tumble drier under the stairs.....

Surprising what 'drying' it out for a few months will achieve, before taking drastic action.

TheCyclingProgrammer · 10 March 2017 at 5:59PM

Who was this surveyor that you paid to do a damp survey? Are the associated with a company that sells damp treatments or are they actually independent and the prices are therefore just estimates?

FreeBear · 11 March 2017 at 12:43AM

Katsa wrote: »

I could hold off on that stuff (damp proof course and re-plastering)....as long as the house wont become dangerous if i don't repair it in the first few months. Then get a different surveyor in for a more thorough inspection.

The house has been standing for 112 years already - Another couple isn't going to make any difference.

I would suggest living in the place for at least six months and give it time to air & dry out. Prioritise the work that *needs* doing (the cracked/blown render would be top of the list) and take your time with the other jobs. if you are practical minded, plastering with lime isn't that difficult and in some respects easier than using gypsum. Well worth taking a course with someone like Mike Wye - They may even be able to recommend a surveyor.

Katsa · 15 March 2017 at 1:42PM

Thank you all for the replies, it has been really useful

To answer some questions, the surveyor (Mike Thomas preservation) also has their own team that carry out damp and timber repairs. i thought all places were like that, so i am a bit skeptical now knowing they aren't.

I think we are going to take some of the advice above and repair the essentials which is the disused flume ventilation thing and the gable end crack (need to find who can do both now).

When we move in, we will be replacing the carpets to wooden floors and painting the walls anyway so we will assess how bad it looks or feels when we do that, and live in the place for a few months to see if the musty smell goes and if any mold starts appearing.

I got the report through the post which had a diagram of the ground floor....Strangely nothing about the first floor. they lined out the living room, dining room and part of the kitchen as all needing to have a damp proof course chemical injection.

Fingers crossed we get the house though, we still love it

*We are at the stage where we paid our solicitor to start the searches*

FreeBear · 15 March 2017 at 2:35PM

Katsa wrote: »

I think we are going to take some of the advice above and repair the essentials which is the disused flume ventilation thing and the gable end crack (need to find who can do both now).

If you are adept at DIY, fitting a vent to the bottom of the flue is something that you could do yourself - It doesn't need to be much of a hole (in fact, two of my flues are not vented).

As for the render, you must check to see if it is lime or cement based before doing anything. One would hope that it is a lime render, if so, if any builder/repairman starts mixing up cement, kick them out. Lime render should only ever be repaired with lime.

Depending on the height, area, and if any render is blown, it could be little more than an afternoons work from a scaffold tower (or even a ladder).

Apodemus · 15 March 2017 at 10:21PM

FreeBear wrote: »

If you are adept at DIY, fitting a vent to the bottom of the flue is something that you could do yourself - It doesn't need to be much of a hole (in fact, two of my flues are not vented).

As for the render, you must check to see if it is lime or cement based before doing anything. One would hope that it is a lime render, if so, if any builder/repairman starts mixing up cement, kick them out. Lime render should only ever be repaired with lime.

Depending on the height, area, and if any render is blown, it could be little more than an afternoons work from a scaffold tower (or even a ladder).

Good advice there, FreeBear (perhaps we have spoken to each other on PPUK!) but it might also be worth the OP doing some research on the history of that gable to see whether the render is original or a more recent addition. While the blown render clearly will need some resolution, it may be a later addition that is preventing the gable breathing - repairing it with more cement may cause as many problems as it solves.

Damp Survey confusion....

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