Damp and Timber treatment at £2,400?

B52

Your advice is appreciated.

We did a homebuyers report on the house we want to purchase and it came back asking us to get a Damp and Timber survey done.

The EA arranged that for us and it came back with a quote of £2,400!!

We were shocked as we do not feel the house is that damp.

Is it a normal price or is it too steep?

We are going to fetch the report from the EA and may get a second opinion.

Wickedkitten

I'd get 3 quotes from actual builders that do damp proofing rather than a specialist place.

The house that we are buying just had a survey done and the surveyor said that it has rising damp. We've viewed it 3 times and more than likely it's just condensation from not having any ventilation for a few months, that and the fact it is double glazed in every room bar the kitchen and he just found the one patch some 5 feet off the floor lead me to believe this, so we are going to arrange 3 local builders to come in and give us a free quote on the problem.

B52

Thanks for your reply.

We've just got the report from the EA and are relieved to find that the quote includes many labour work which we would do ourselves, such as remove the plasterboard, skirting board etc. and putting new plasterboard, skirting board afterwards.

So we will get some more quotes on damp course only.

clairehi

B52 wrote:

Your advice is appreciated.

We did a homebuyers report on the house we want to purchase and it came back asking us to get a Damp and Timber survey done.

The EA arranged that for us and it came back with a quote of £2,400!!

We were shocked as we do not feel the house is that damp.

Is it a normal price or is it too steep?

We are going to fetch the report from the EA and may get a second opinion.

Stop before you go any further, you may well not need a damp proof course at all. Read the report very carefully!

DPCs protect you against so called "rising damp". many people now question whether rising damp even exists. The damp in your house may not be caused by "rising damp" at all.

Companies offering free "damp surveys" are highly motivated to recommend a new DPC for the house, to be carried out by themselves! as you say they will also quote for other work involved, hacking off and replastering etc.

they make a hell of a mess - you will have to redecorate the rooms where it has been done and they will get dust everywhere.

Moisture on the surface of an internal wall is quite likely to be caused by condensation, which can be solved for free by opening a window!

Damp internal walls (in older, solid wall construction houses) can also be caused by penetrating damp ie rain getting into the structure via leaks around rotting window frames, cracks in external render, leaking drainpipes or other obvious defects. have a good look around outside for anything suspect.

Other damp problems can be caused by the ground level outside having been raised and breaching an existing dpc.

If there is a serious damp problem, it is also likely to be obvious in damage to decoration within the house. did you notice anything when you viewed the house?

A decent builder will give you a more realistic assessment of what work needs to be done. books on basic house maintenance will also tell you more about causes of damp and treatments.

lastly, how old is the house?

B52

Thanks for that.

The house is at least 100 years old. It has been vacant for some time.

It does have double glazing. When we viewed the property we noticed below the front room window, there is a plastic air vent, that can be opened and closed. Around it the wallpaper was peeling away and looked a bit horrible.

The general condition in the house is pretty old looking and definately has not been decorated for 10 or 15 years. One of the things we noted is the side allevation of the house has some perished flaky bricks - this is also shown in the homebuyers report and suggest to be replaced. Not sure if the damp could be getting in from there or not.

The damp and timber report is by DampCo and suggests that all walls in the house, external and internal need to have damp proof course done.

clairehi

B52 wrote:

Thanks for that.

The house is at least 100 years old. It has been vacant for some time.

It does have double glazing. When we viewed the property we noticed below the front room window, there is a plastic air vent, that can be opened and closed. Around it the wallpaper was peeling away and looked a bit horrible.

The general condition in the house is pretty old looking and definately has not been decorated for 10 or 15 years. One of the things we noted is the side allevation of the house has some perished flaky bricks - this is also shown in the homebuyers report and suggest to be replaced. Not sure if the damp could be getting in from there or not.

The damp and timber report is by DampCo and suggests that all walls in the house, external and internal need to have damp proof course done.

Hi

Well, at least if the house is empty it shouldnt be a problem to go round again with a builder and poke a few things to see if they fall off. none of this stuff is rocket science.

do I get the general impression its not in a very good state of repair? I also saw your post re the retention. I wonder whether you could speak to the surveyor on the phone about that. he may shed some more light on his overall opinion of the house as a prospect for purchase.

this question about the electrics is a fairly standard bit of surveyorese but is there a genuine possibility it could need rewiring because that will cost you a few bob to be sure?

I really think you need a sensible builder (and electrician) to take a look at all of these issues. Do bear in mind that it will not just cost money, it will be a lot of hassle as well.

We had a Victorian terrace and were also recommended to put in a DPC. in retrospect I really doubt it was needed as the house had a terrible condensation problem which would explain the damp readings (we only found that out after wed moved in and got the DPC though). The house had remained standing successfully for 100 years without a DPC, and it was a real pain in the butt to get the DPC done.

B52

Decorative wise, it is poor, but the structure, roof, chimney etc. seems quite sound.

The overall opinion on the homebuyers report:
"A semi-detached house which is in need of repair, modernisation, redecoration and improvement. The property has been neglected in recent years. However, overall it is considered sound securtiy for purchase."

We are prepared to do a lot of cosmetic work to it, and also rewiring the house no matter what. But we are surprised to see the quotation from the damp and timber report.

My husband has asthma/allergy, he is supersensitive to high damp place and he thinks the house is not damp.

We will take your advice and speak to the surveyor about the retention/retainment.

sazale

We also had electrics and damp proof on our survey. We have had quotes from reputable people and the price is £550 for DP course and timber treatment and £1700 for a total rewire! We were really pleased with them.

[Deleted User]

I would contact the BWPDA and ask them to recommend a specialist in your area. That's what I did and the specialist didn't find anything wrong with my house.

I would not use the company recommended by the ea, it wouldn't surprise me if they got a commission for it (which you'll have to pay).

B52

Sazale, do you mind telling me where you are? We are in the West Midlands and I hope we can get the firm you appointed to give us a quotation.

Van1971, thanks for your advice and we will get a second opinion on damp report. I wonder how many damp specialists are willing to give honest reply after a free visit. I thought they will give you quotation of work to be done no matter what?

sazale

Unfortunately I'm in South Yorks and they are both local trades people. We did pay £75 for a damp&timber report to send to the mortgage company but he will refund that if we use him for the work. The house we are buying is also approx 100 years old and never had a damp proof and the electrics are at least 50 years old!!! The damp price is for 3 external walls. You could ring the surveyor to ask their opinion. I did. On our survey it mentioned that the property had been affected by subsidence in the past and couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be any further movement. The surveyor was more than happy to speak to us and said there was nothing to worry about it is a standard phrase they have to use for the Alliance & Leicester!!!!! So it saved us a few quid as was going to pay £200 for a subsidence report!!!