Damp problems in the house I am buying

manorpurl

Dear all,
I really need some advice from someone who has been through this before or is aware of the problem.
I am planning to buy a 3 bed semi detach with a cellar in the house. The survey report identified high damp reading in the cellar as well as the side of the house. I got a damp specialist to look at the problem and quoted 500 pounds to fix problem to the side of the house. I am ok with this. However, i am concerned about damp in the cellar that will cost me nearly best part of 5k to fix. I am planning to leave the cellar as a storage only however, i am concerned at what the damp within the cellar will amount to going forwards. Does it cause issues to the structure of the house. Also, the survey identified some hollow and blown plaster in certain sections of the house.
Please can someone advice as to whether there is something major for me to worry about. I know these types of issues are common to older properties but i do not want to spend money continually in the future as i am already stretched out.
Thank you friends.

carslet

dont buy the house, or ask for at least 10k off to get the repairs done,

Koicarp

Cellars tend to be underground, why would it be a surprise that it's damp?
Floor joists sit on or above the damp course so shouldn't be affected by damp in the walls. Increase or keep good ventilation using air bricks to keep them in good condition.

G_M

Damp-proofing a celler is very difficult and expensive, and only done by people who intend to use the cellar as a living space.

There are some cheap options but they are unreliable: eg try

As said above, it's underground so inevitably damp!

I got a damp specialist to look at the problem and quoted 500 pounds to fix problem

How much did you pay for this? If it was a free survey from a damp proof company, what you actually got was a salesman who recommended paying his company £500 for something you actually might/might not need, which might/might not work!

Pay an independant damp specialist who is not selling anything! More here.

Mickygg

The house I am buying has damp. I've been quoted 2k so worth another quote for you as £500 seems very cheap. Maybe it's minimal damp that can be treated with minimal chemicals.As for the cellar, if it will cost 5k I would ask for that off the price of the house. The vendor will probably say no as a cellar can quite often be damp, but then it's up to you whether to progress or not.

G_M

Mickygg wrote: »

The house I am buying has damp. I've been quoted 2k so worth another quote for you as £500 seems very cheap. Maybe it's minimal damp that can be treated with minimal chemicals.As for the cellar, if it will cost 5k I would ask for that off the price of the house. The vendor will probably say no as a cellar can quite often be damp, but then it's up to you whether to progress or not.

This is a totally meaningless statement. We do not have enough information to comment:

* the 'damp' may have been diagnosed with a so-called 'damp meter'. Actually it measures electrical conductivity so the reading may be caused by material in the wall structure that conducts electricity but is NOT water
* it may be caused by a leaking downpipe outside - £20 to fix!
* it may be a patio/drive etc has been built up against the external wall breaching the dpc
* just possibly it may be a missing or faulty dpc

Without knowing the cause of the damp it is impossible to comment sensibly on the cost of remedy!

Mickygg

G_M wrote: »

This is a totally meaningless statement. We do not have enough information to comment:

* the 'damp' may have been diagnosed with a so-called 'damp meter'. Actually it measures electrical conductivity so the reading may be caused by material in the wall structure that conducts electricity but is NOT water
* it may be caused by a leaking downpipe outside - £20 to fix!
* it may be a patio/drive etc has been built up against the external wall breaching the dpc
* just possibly it may be a missing or faulty dpc

Without knowing the cause of the damp it is impossible to comment sensibly on the cost of remedy!

It's not meaningless (text removed by MSE Forum Team). Its a warning not to just take one quote and make decisions based on that.

manorpurl

the quote for fixing damp in cellar came to 10k yesterday. sorry to confuse you guys..

nobblyned

Cellars are usually damp, they are not intended to be usable living rooms.

I would only expect it not to be if it were being sold as tanked and converted into a room. The quote you have to 'fix' it is presuamably to tank it, which would be a complete waste of time unless you intend to convert it into living space.

Jamie_Carter

Don't buy it!!!!

There is no guarantee that any expensive work carried out will actually solve the problem.

G_M

Damp in a celler is only a problem if the cellar is going to be living space.

Are you actually buying this property because of the extra room the cellar provides?

edit: thanks to the mods for removing abusive language in earlier post!