Damp - what to do?

bengarton

Hi

When we moved into our house (1890 built mid terrace) just over a year ago, the survey showed high levels of damp in the back living room, just in one corner.

We are about to redecorate that room, so want to get it sorted. There has been damp-proofing done to the house, and it is still under warranty. The company who did the dampproofing(Dampco) want £80 to come out and look at it to decide if is the damp-proof that has failed or something else.

Seems like alot to pay just to get them to come out and look at the wall? I know they are going to try and get out of re-doing it for free.

Are there any ways that I can find out if the damp proof has failed? The wall in question is right next to a window and an open fire so I am thinking it could also be condensation? There is no evidence of mould on the wall, but the wallpaper has 'bubbled' as if damp.

Any advice gratefully received - I haven't got £80 to just throw about!!!

weekendwarrior

bengarton wrote:

Hi

When we moved into our house (1890 built mid terrace) just over a year ago, the survey showed high levels of damp in the back living room, just in one corner.

We are about to redecorate that room, so want to get it sorted. There has been damp-proofing done to the house, and it is still under warranty. The company who did the dampproofing(Dampco) want £80 to come out and look at it to decide if is the damp-proof that has failed or something else.

Seems like alot to pay just to get them to come out and look at the wall? I know they are going to try and get out of re-doing it for free.

Are there any ways that I can find out if the damp proof has failed? The wall in question is right next to a window and an open fire so I am thinking it could also be condensation? There is no evidence of mould on the wall, but the wallpaper has 'bubbled' as if damp.

Any advice gratefully received - I haven't got £80 to just throw about!!!

Do you know what type of damp proof course has been used, it is probably either a Chemical damp proof course or an electro osmosis damp proof course

To be honest I don't think it will be the damp proof course and £80 is a lot to have them come and tell you that it is a problem with the window.

Chances are that it will not be the DPC, you may be better off asking a builder to check it out first, it could be something and nothing!

bengarton

It is the chemical damp proof. I am starting to think it is condensation, but am unsure what to do next. I don't want to redecorate the room for the damp to then come back. I don't want to have the plaster re-skimmed, as if it is damp underneath it will ruin the skimming I guess.

On our homebuyer survey it said 'high levels of damp'. What to do!?

ormus

it also seems to me a case of throwing good money after bad.
the 80 quid is prob better spent towards a local builders invioce?

bengarton

Very true. I think it is very unfair to charge that much when we have a warranty.

Powerful_Pierre

I have just suggested this on another post but take a look at the PGA web site which has a good questions and answers section all about damp and a easy to understand section about condensation. http://www.specifypga.com/

benood

It sounds like condensation to me too - so where's the water coming from - do you need to be extra diligent about using extractor fans in the kitchen or bathroom? The £80 charge sounds like a con - if you wanted them to do the work fresh they wouldn't charge for a quote.

An airbrick might be one solution if it is condensation.

HugoSP

I would find out what trade associations Dampco are members of and consider contact these to ask their opinions as to them wanting to charge you £80.

It does seem unfair. I have an ongoing issue with a large quantity of damp proofing and timber treatment that was carried out on our house some 15 years ago. The guarantee is 30 years.

We bought the house 4 years ago and paid the correct price bearing in mind its original condition IE damp, dry rot and woodworm - lots of it!

I contacted the company who sent the owner to have a look for himself. As a result he has agreed to work through the house in line with our renovations and determine what needs to be redone and carry out works as necessary.

So far around 75% of the work that has been inspected has been redone by them at their discretion. I cannot argue with their approach. I have replaced timbers etc at my own expense as they argue (quite reasonably IMO) that the main damage to the old timbers was probably due to infestation before they were called out to treat, however they did note the presence of active decay when they came out recently.

bengarton

benood wrote:

It sounds like condensation to me too - so where's the water coming from - do you need to be extra diligent about using extractor fans in the kitchen or bathroom? The £80 charge sounds like a con - if you wanted them to do the work fresh they wouldn't charge for a quote.

An airbrick might be one solution if it is condensation.

Haven't got a clue where it is coming from! It seems odd it is only that one wall. I guess the only logical explanation is that it is a combination of the window and the fireplace which is causing it?

If it was condensation though, wouldn't there be mould on the wallpaper?

diamond_dave

Could easily be condensation. I live in a large victorian house and i suffer from condensation especially under windows where the brickwork is thin without insulation. Borrow a dehumidifier from a friend for a couple of days and you'll notice the difference- then try to insulate the cold wall

Annando

Have you considered this might be penetrating damp?

If this is at ground level check that there isn't some kind of soil build-up against that wall or near that wall where the moisture could travel. Also check that if you have a patio or slabs on the outside near the wall that they are not breaching the DPC, any slabs patio should be 150mm (15cm/6inches) below the DPC level, otherwise moisture might be drawn in.

Check your pointing, water might be drawn in through cracks in the pointing, we had penetration damp in the back bedrooms (upstairs) despite the fact that the sellers had redone the pointing at the back. We rendered the back of the house and we haven't had anymore problems since. Several builders came to look at it, most said we would have to open-up the cavity and clean it...would cost us a fortune...the simple solution is usually the best.

In the same spirit, check around the window for cracks. Is this a new window or an old one? There might not be a DPC at cill level and that is where the water might be getting in. Is your fire place closed or open? If closed does it have an air vent or an air brick?

If this is upstairs, check the lead on the roof at firewall level to see if it has any holes or cracks even tiny ones can do a lot of damage when water travels. We had a very damp party wall in the kitchen and had it chemically treated thinking the DPC had gone and this didn't solve the problem, the neighbours were literally having water coming out of their sockets. We tried different things and nothing would solve it, until we checked the lead on the firewall between the two houses, there was a tiny hole that was letting all this water in, wish we had thought about that one before we paid for the DPC treatment.