Damp Proof Course

tranmererovers

My brother has just exchanged contracts on a house which needs the damp proof course doing.

He is thinking of tackling this himself. Does anyone have any advice as to wether this should be left to the professionals.

If he does go ahead and do it himself, what would he need and where would be the best place to buy materials / hire equipment.

Thanks

OddjobKIA

This job is BIG and I cant stress that enough If he is good with the tools then fine if he struggles with things like, Building, plastering, painting, carpentry, cement, then suggest he gets the pro's in and hands over the cash it will be cheaper in the long run
I as my handle suggests i do a alot of diy from stairs block work etc I wouldnt even consider doing this.

Mr_Grumpy_7

I would agree with OddjobKIA.

The other thing to consider is the guarentee, which will be very important when he comes to sell. I personally would not touch a house where the damp course had been repaired or replaced and where the said work was not guarenteed.

I can cope with most things, but structural and damp repairs really need to underwritten by a reputable company.

BobProperty

First I would check carefully that the property does actually require a damp proof course. There is a lot of casual checking and selling of damp proof courses where they are not actually needed because there is some other fault. Do a search around the net, there is information out there.
Second, I have done a DPC. I hired the equipment and bought the products required. All I can say is that it is a farce that the injection type DPC is effective and I believe that the main effective is achieved because of the 1m worth of cement/sand/waterproof render on the inner wall that goes with it.
Third, why am I helping a Tranmere fan?

weekendwarrior

There are two different types of damp proof course, that can be installed after the house has been built, it is possible to install a physical damp proof course but it would be very expensive and not a DIY job. There is a
chemical damp proof course and a Electro osmisis damp proof course the electro osmosis is better than chemical as you do not need to remove the plaster, unless the plaster has perished or blown.

I would get quotes from a few companies that specialise in damp treatment and then price up the cost of doing it yourself.

Ideally your brother should of done this before exchanging contracts and then got a discount according to the price of the job.