paying for new damp course help

moneysavingfamilycomp

hi was wondering if anyone could offer advice.

my sister has damp in her house and thinks she needs a new damp course the paper is peeling at the bottom of the walls and the carpet, sofa and kitchen cupboards all smell musty and feel damp.

the house is an ex council house which she bought from them about 10 yrs ago. the council have since replaced the damp courses in the other houses so we think that is the problem.

she has no savings and is paying back debt on credit cards so is panicking about the cost. she has buildings and contents insurance but doesnt know whether it will cover damp courses. does anyone know if this is the case or if there are any grants etc available. she cant add any more to her mortgage and cant afford to take out a loan.

any help would be really appreciated thanks

moob_2

Damp proof courses aren't as expensive as you perhaps think.

In any case, your sister's first port of call is to contact her insurance/read her policy to check if she's covered.

As for grants, up here in Scotland,they are largely a thing of the past, predominantly down to central government funding cuts. There are however charitable organisations who can assist those in their later years, if that applies to your sister.

dampdaveski

Hi,
Don't bother wasting your phone call to your insurance company.
Rising damp (if that's what it is) is not covered on any policy, it is classed as wear and tear. Most policies specifically exclude rising damp usually in the form of 'ground water'
also a point worth considering is that a rising damp problem usually doesn't smell musty!

A condensation / ventilation problem does cause substantial musty smells!
Have you checked the usual suspects like gutters, rainwater pipes?

Tottyshouse

I agree re the poor ventilation. I recall going on a course for building surveyors about 15 years ago - and the course leader who was an experienced surveyor/author and lecturer said genuine rising damp was surprisingly uncommon. A tenant of mine once claimed there was damp in one of my properties - it actually turned out to be perished dampers on the chimney stack that had allowed water to run down the chimney blowing the plaster around the bottom of the chimney breast in two rooms. If you get a damp proofing company out it is in their interest to say you would require a damp proof course so I would do your own research into it first. Check your guttering/downpipes for leaks and blockages. Also try a decent dehumidifier for a period ( you can get fairly good ones for around £120 for smaller properties) or see if you can borrow/hire one. Installing more air bricks/ forced ventilation would be cheaper and could prove to be far more effective than a damp proof course. Sorry - but I can't advise on grants etc. I would imagine in the current climate of cutbacks - a grant to install a damp proof course in a private residence may be unlikely.

moneysavingfamilycomp

hi thanks for advice it is a small house but the damp is on one outside wall affecting hall/stairs and kitchen and also the internal wall affecting sitting room which is opposite the other two and in centre of house which was why we ruled out guttering the wall is wet for about 3 feet up from the bottom and wall paper is peeling and wall is going black. she has damp catchers with chrystals in but there not strong enough. does anyone know about how much damp courses are if thats what it is as shes been told could be thousands. she is 56 so wouldnt be able to get help for older people yet. she has only had the problem for 18 mnths but has lived in the house for 19 yrs and nothing has changed in the last 7 yrs since she had double glazing fitted so im not sure it could be condensation however i have no idea why condensation starts im just assuming its when you seal off houses ie. double glazing.

dampdaveski

Hi Money,
It's extremely difficult to diagnose a problem like this over a forum.
However your comment that it's only happened very quickly might (and it is a big might) indicate that your sister could have a leaking water pipe, or if there is a lot of mould growth it could just be condensation that's causing it.
Can you get some pictures?

spannerzone

The usual things to try and remedy supposed 'rising damp' should include:

not drying clothes in the house on radiators or racks, venting/extraction in bathroom and kitchen, get ventilation in the house, stop breathing (ok that's a bit excessive but proves a point that so many things create moisture and it has to go somewhere), check gutters, roof, drainage, leaking pipes etc.

My house has occasional damp walls, about 2 feet high, initially thought it was rising damp but did some reading on the matter and decided it wasn't. Curiously my walls would get damp during hot humid days and not necessarily during/after heavy rain. My problem appears to be non existant ventilation/extraction in kitchen and [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Interstitial condensation.


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