PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.

We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that dates on the Forum are not currently showing correctly. Please bear with us while we get this fixed, and see Site feedback for updates.

Survey finds damp - what to do?

I think my first post on this got lost, so I'll try again.
The survey on my the 1930s semi my daughter wants to buy has found some spongy boards downstairs and recommends she get a damp specialist to look at it. I have heard bad things about these and wonder if she'd be better getting a builder to look. It looks like the roof may need repairing too, so he could look at both. What do you think.
Would she be better off walking away and finding a newer house? She likes this one because it has a big garden.

Comments

  • poppysarah
    poppysarah Posts: 11,522 Forumite
    It needs properly looking at so she has an idea on how much it'll cost to repair.
  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Are you getting confused between an independent damp specialist that you pay (much like a surveyor), and a damp company who will give you a free [STRIKE]report [/STRIKE]quote for work that may or may not need completing? ;) By all means get a builder as well as a specialist.
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • olly300
    olly300 Posts: 14,737 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Baalmaiden wrote: »
    Would she be better off walking away and finding a newer house? She likes this one because it has a big garden.

    Getting a newer house will not mean it won't have any problems even if it's a new build.

    She should get a builder in.
    I'm not cynical I'm realistic :p

    (If a link I give opens pop ups I won't know I don't use windows)
  • marcg
    marcg Posts: 177 Forumite
    Damp has a only limited number of causes.

    Damp at the top of a wall below a roof is the roof - the guttering is sagging, the felt is missing or damaged, a tile is missing etc etc.

    Damp in the middle of a wall - there's a hole in the wall on the outside gathering water. The wall needs rendering or repointing. There might be a feature bit of stonework gathering water - this can have a mortar mound put on it to throw the rain off.

    Damp at floor level - on a timber floor means either: rising damp; you need a damp proof course injected into the walls or: the floor lacks ventilation (not enough or blocked airbricks) or: the timber floor has been built directly on to soil and the humidity is being soaked up (need new floor).
    - on a solid concrete floor usually means the floor was built without a damp-proof membrane or this has failed. Rubber paint (bitumen) should fix this.

    General odd bits of damp normally relate to failed drains, leaking downpipes or leaking internal fittings (bath, shower, boiler etc).

    All of the above are straightforward to identify and a builder should be confidently able to quote for fixing them. if the builder is not confident, get another builder.

    Damp basements? Stay away.
    I'm an ARB-registered RIBA-chartered architect. However, no advice given over the internet can be truly relied upon since the person giving the advice hasn't actually got enough information to give it with confidence. Go and pay someone!
  • Hi,
    When you have whoever look at the 'spongy floor' they need to address not only the full extent of the defect apparent but also they need to investigate and address all the reasons that caused the defect to occur. For example paying a builder / joiner who with the best of intentions replaces a timber floor without addressing the moisture source that brought about the decay will be a complete waste of time and money as the new floor will fail just as readily as the previous floor.

    I do not want to dispute other people's postings as we all post on here in a spirit of goodwill with questions hoping for answers in the form of posts from people in that field of expertise. Accordingly whilst I agree with marcg that dampness has a limited number of causes, please be aware that the reasons marcg gives are by no means exhaustive in each and every case they mention and rising dampness in particular is not at all straight forward to identify in that it requires laboratory analysis of several wall samples taken up the height of each and every wall under investigation once other moisture sources have been ruled out.

    Kindest regards to all David Aldred independent dampness and timber surveyor.
  • dopester
    dopester Posts: 4,890 Forumite
    OP, take a look at this website. It is full of really interesting info.

    http://www.zuil.co.uk/property-buyers-guide/buying-property_what-a-property-survey-really-means.php
    Expect rising damp on all period properties (Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian, etc.) where you are buying a property that is or includes the basement, lower ground or ground floors. These buildings were never constructed with damp proof courses, they didn't exist at the time! The question is, how much damp?

    Also I read a thread elsewhere about a recent buyer where the surveyor advised getting a damp specialist to examine one wall and area. They didn't do so and bought the place. Not long afterwards the wall is soaking, and there is mould all about, and it looks awful. I saw the photos. I wouldn't live in a home like they've bought. I'd be worried for our health. Possibly they regret not following advice to get a damp specialist in, as per the surveyor's advice.
  • David_Aldred
    David_Aldred Posts: 371 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 13 November 2009 pm30 3:32PM
    I have seen the article before mentioned in dopester's post and whilst it is written with the best of intentions to be generally helpful to the layperson there are quite a few things in there that make somebody with an experienced eye in these matters whince a little. For example the comment referred to:
    "Expect rising damp on all period properties (Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian, etc.) where you are buying a property that is or includes the basement, lower ground or ground floors. These buildings were never constructed with damp proof courses, they didn't exist at the time!"
    This comment is simply not true at all and highly misleading to a layperson reading it. Out of all the moisture sources seen within properties true rising dampness should be the last thing to be considered and I regularly find damp proof courses within properties built in the 16th Century for istance.

    Indeed the vast majority of the UK housing stock including Edwardian, Georgian and Victorian does indeed have a damp proof course of one type or another and to make a statement that damp proof courses did not exist at that time is totally untrue. Such damp proof courses simply did not become mandatory under public health legislation until the 1800's but this is not to credit competant builders of all properties prior to this date with the knowledge of and ability to incorporate some type of damp proof course. There are exceptions - even today some cowboy builders will omit a damp proof course in error but exceptions they are and certainly not the norm as suggested.

    Hope this helps, kindest regards, David Aldred independent dampness and timber surveyor
  • Thanks for the replies. It was me who advised her to get a survey done - not sure whether I did the right thing or not now!
    A damp specialist is going to look tomorrow. Apparently the house has a bituminous DPC, which may have been compromised. I did wonder if it may just be blocked airbricks etc, but we don't know until someone has had a proper look. I think it may be as well to have a builder have a look around and go with him. Several of the other houses in the street have had new roofs, so we expected that eventually it may need doing, but I hoped a repair would do for now. I just don't want her to waste her hard earned cash.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 348.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 452.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 240.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 617.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 175.7K Life & Family
  • 254.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.