Damp issue right before exchange arghhh!!

G_M

notts_phil wrote: »

Yes definitely negotiate. You have nothing to loose. The walls wont be soaking in December and they wont be stinking. It really is nothing to worry about. You could have a bit of damp in a property for years and never really notice it

There may not be evidence of a DPC but that doesnt mean one doesnt exist. He just may not have seen the tell tale injection hole caps.

But there are other methods of DPC's such as engineering bricks/slate/plastic.

In the 1900s they commonly used slate.

My 1850 house has a slate dpc which still works well.

When I bought, my survey showed damp, and the specialist damp companies wanted me to spend £000s on new dp injections (into stone!).

Solution? £50 to repair leaking gutter and downpipe + half a day digging out a flower bed that had been built up against an outside wall.

MiniSis

Thanks notts Phil!

I lived in a rented flat many years ago that was damp
And ruined my signed Janet Leigh picture from the mould. Was devastated!!! Plus our clothes constantly smelling it was gross!!

I live alone with my young son and don't want him living in a damp house obviously!!

Thanks guys you have ALL been really helpful

MiniSis

G_M wrote: »

In the 1900s they commonly used slate.

My 1850 house has a slate dpc which still works well.

When I bought, my survey showed damp, and the specialist damp companies wanted me to spend £000s on new dp injections (into stone!).

Solution? £50 to repair leaking gutter and downpipe + half a day digging out a flower bed that had been built up against an outside wall.

Thanks! So checking the guttering properly first off then! Also as I'm not 100% sure where the damp is but the survey said the concrete needed to be 15cm lower or something in the back garden and mentions putting airbricks in, so could be to do with this I assume.

Sorry to be snappy btw

notts_phil

MiniSis wrote: »

Thanks notts Phil!

I lived in a rented flat many years ago that was damp
And ruined my signed Janet Leigh picture from the mould. Was devastated!!! Plus our clothes constantly smelling it was gross!!

I live alone with my young son and don't want him living in a damp house obviously!!

Thanks guys you have ALL been really helpful

Well hope you get it sorted, one way or another just dont fall for the damp proofing scam what ever you do!

Theres more then one way to skin a cat

menollyke

We are in a 1930's house and have a slate damproof course. We had loads of damp in kitchen and dining area, up the wall and everything. We tried to find out ourselves what was the problem and found out after taking the floor up that the previous owner hadn't completely taken the old chimney out, they just filled it in with rubble, breaking the dampproof course. After we removed the rubble, replaced some of the beams and let the wall dry out, the damp has been gone. Even in this weather there is not a mark on the wall. (this is seven months after we done the work)

In our case the damp was quite bad, marks on the wall, when taking up the floorboards, rotting beams underneath, which where placed on the old chimney. Moral of the story, even if it is very bad, it doesn't have to cost a lot to rectify and it could be a very simple and logical thing. Damp doesn't put me off a house, it just depends on where it is.

MiniSis

Thank you its making me a little angry these damp companies potentially ripping off so many innocent people!! Not a sign of damp in the house! I've been in with my parents and my builder none of them have visibly seen it and the walls haven't recently been painted or anything.

Have decided not to worry about it this forum is fab! That ask jeff article was really interesting too!

chappers

MiniSis wrote: »

Thanks! So checking the guttering properly first off then! Also as I'm not 100% sure where the damp is but the survey said the concrete needed to be 15cm lower or something in the back garden and mentions putting airbricks in, so could be to do with this I assume.

Sorry to be snappy btw

Almost certainly nothing to worry about.
If you have a suspended timber floor the air brick thing is almost a standard report nowadays as houses were usually built with less ventilation than the current building regs( no harm in adding extra air bricks).
Also 150mm is the standard from ground level to damp course nowadays but many older houses had damp course at ground level and most houses older than the 50's had minimal or no damp course at all.

MiniSis

Got the report back today. The estimate comes in at £2750.

This is for chemical dpc in the affected areas in the lounge and dining room plus a triton mesh dpc in the front bedroom and full woodworm treatment of all floor and roof timbers.

See what the second estimate comes back as!!

DRP

MiniSis wrote: »

Got the report back today. The estimate comes in at £2750.

This is for chemical dpc in the affected areas in the lounge and dining room plus a triton mesh dpc in the front bedroom and full woodworm treatment of all floor and roof timbers.

See what the second estimate comes back as!!

damp in upstairs rooms? bit weird isn't it?

woodworm treatment? why?

also , regarding your OP: "higher than normal damp readings on the ground floor level" - i'm pretty sure that you will always have higher damp levels than "normal" in an old house like this due to their construction. And what exactly is the "normal" they are comparing it to? A house built 5 years ago?

I wouldn't get too stressed about this and I certainly wouldn't shell out thousands on it

MiniSis

Thanks! Yes rising damp downstairs and penetrating damp upstairs... Now the penetrating damp upstairs is on the front wall leading me to assume guttering or the windows??? There was condensation in one of the front windows but the property has been empty for a while.

There is evidence of woodworm on the floorboards, obviously old, still there I don't know

The damp downstairs doesn't concern me tbh, in the front room it could quite easily be from the front garden and in the back room because there is not this magic 15cm gap and air bricks.

Am I on the right lines???