who do we need to call?

nublue

NOT ghostbusters!

We bought a house 2 weeks ago and since we have been here (we are in the south west) virtually every day has been howling winds and rain...we are on top of a hill, and out the back, we have a part brick conservatory...

I noticed this morning that the wall that used to be the outside of the house, but is now the inside of the conservatory, has mould and the paint on the walls is bubbling up...

It is basically right in the corner of the conservatory, but not at the top of the wall, nearer to the window, and the side that has the wind is driving the rain at it constantly at the moment. In this area there is a tap tap dripping sound on the roof too, so something is dripping onto it from the main house when it is raining...

I would like to get somebody to come and look at it, and find the source of the problem, but I have no details of who built it, or guarantees, so what kind of person do I call? Would a builder be the right person? Or someone to check the windows??

Thank you

missile

I assume this is not a new build?

You ought to have received details of any modifications, like a conservatory, when you bought the property. Perhaps your solicitor has them?

I would suggest you contact a local builder to review the damage and give you a quote for any repairs which may be required. If you are new to this area, speak to friends and neighbours for a recommendation.

Depending on the cause of the problem, you may or may not be covered by your home insurance.

nublue

Hi Missile, thank you for your reply...

No it is not a new build, it's about 15 years old. All the information we have (so far) regarding the conservatory, is that it was originally from wickes, and then in 2003, permission was sought from the local council to remove and extend the conservatory. So we assume it was built in 2003, but we have no information as to by whom.

However, we have not recieved the pack of documents from the conveyancer that you usually receive after all of the post completion stuff has been done, so that may still arrive...

My friend's brother is in the building trade, so I'll ask if he can recommend anyone...

Thank you

poppysarah

It might have a dodgy bit of flashing that needs fixing. You could speak to a builder or a roofer or someone who does conservatories... Ring up some blokes out of the local paper or see if your local trading standards does a "trade safe" list

perplexed.com

We had exactly the same problem and were quite worried about what a repair might entail. In the end got a builder who diagnosed a gap/tear in the flashing and will be coming to fix it this week for what seems like a reasonable quote. In the meantime a dehumidifier has helped keep the damage down until it's fixed.