J.A.S.'s fixing the damp & swimming pool in the house thread....

JustAnotherSaver

Interesting. Though i'd have to say i doubt that'd be the case here.

Anyway, we just need Christmas out the way & then people can be free to be available for us.

Problem there is, once Christmas is out of the way, we'll both be back at work & limited to Saturday's yet again (& hoping these tradesfolk will work on a Saturday).

JustAnotherSaver

Just an update (for own reference point & for those who are implying i'm sat not doing anything)...

Our solicitor got back to us & said that we may have a claim for the previous owners misleading us.
We've been directed to a form the previous owner completed, specifically regards flooding where the previous owner said no.

This is why i put emphasis on may. My concern here is we only have the neighbours word that our place suffered from water through the boards & the water line comes up 5 course on a 9 course high wall, that still leaves 4 course apparently dry.
I wonder if the 5 course is perhaps where the water was regularly & that if (rarely) it passed this then the bricks wont have been wet for long enough to stay dark/stained??

As nothing ever seems to work out as you want, i'm taking a guess that there's going to be a brick wall (no pun) at the end of this road, but we'll have to see.

cyclonebri1

Make your choice of how you wish to proceed given the info you have requested and received.

Go ahead an effect a cure, document everything, but above all don't wait for a legal rescue, the fact is this needs fixing, the results of the claim will come later.

I also had a thought of how your insurance would view this, it may, (very much may), come under work that has to be done on an emergency basis, ie, flood

JustAnotherSaver

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Make your choice of how you wish to proceed given the info you have requested and received.

We will. We're both leaning towards permanent cure, but all this is down to cost & we will have to get quotes before we can decide. If a decent pump route (not forgetting the need for plastic sheeding & plasterboard & the cost that presents) is a total cost of just a couple £1000 (note: pump, installation, electrics, sheeting & plasterboard = total cost) but a solid floor approach costs close to £10,000 then we will have to go the pump route for now as we simply don't have the cash.
But this depends on quotes & i don't know about other sections of the country but builders are on Xmas shut down here. I work in this area & it's a very quiet time of the year for us as the builders have shut up shop.

Go ahead an effect a cure, document everything, but above all don't wait for a legal rescue, the fact is this needs fixing, the results of the claim will come later.

Don't worry, we wont be.
But then if i covered all bases (responses) with my posts then i'd be here all day.
I don't think we'll get anywhere (claim). If we do then it'll be nice as it'll be some cashflow our way, but like you say, we'll have to get this sorted & whatever else comes will come.

I also had a thought of how your insurance would view this, it may, (very much may), come under work that has to be done on an emergency basis, ie, flood

I did think about insurance myself actually, but isn't this kind of like driving with no insurance, having a prang with no other party involved for example, buying insurance & then saying - hey fix this??


fluffymuffy - you have your PMs turned off. If you're reading this then apologies for the comment (milkman). It wasn't meant how (i think) you've taken it, but apologies all the same.



It's absolutely bucketing it down here. Water level up by 0.5" to 5.0" this morning.

JustAnotherSaver

Just trying to learn a bit more about this between now & builders starting back up again. There's a down side to everything, so i'm trying to find one to this....

http://ecohomecentre.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/suspended-timber-vs-solid-concrete.html

Suspended timber vs solid concrete floors?


Many old houses were designed with suspended timber floors. These were designed into houses to keep them dry (at the expense of draughts). The timber joists and floor boards were vented underneath at the front and back of the house to allow a draught to whisk away any rising moisture from the foundations. As long as the vents are open and working and that any intermediate supporting foundation walls retain their air gaps this system can be very effective for keeping moisture out of the wood and hence preventing rot and damp. However these floors can be very draughty and hence energy inefficient as the only material between the house and the outside world is an inch of wood.

In response to draughty floors and some rot in the ends of joists we now commonly replace floors with solid concrete floors. Many of these floors are just solid concrete, most have been fitted with a Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) underneath and some later ones have some insulation installed (the insulation tends to be beneath the slab and also not along the edge). The theory being that the moisture is stopped by the DPM and the wood replaced with a rot-free solution.

So concrete floors are draught-proof, can be insulating and also provide some thermal mass (especially helpful if used in conjunction with underfloor heating / passive solar gain). However, it also drives any rising damp up the adjoining walls. Water will always find a way to escape and if the only option is up an internal wall, so be it. The installation of a solid floor can also block airflow to other rooms. It is common for one room to have its floor replaced. This then can cut off the underfloor ventilation to other rooms. This is turn can cause more problems for the other rooms. So great care is required to ensure that ventilation is maintained where required and that damp is not brought into the house.

Personally I think that wherever possible suspended timber floors should be repaired (the ends can rot) and then the floor be properly insulated and draught proofed. This then gives you a cheaper, less resource intense and future proofed solution that maintains the character of the home as well as not bringing in the potential for damp in the walls.

If insulating the floor then use breathable insulation (as this allows the whole of the floor to breathe) and also a breather membrane (this allows you to create an airtight seal to reduce draughts) and also for any moisture to pass through and dissipate naturally. Care needs to be taken when fitting the membrane as it needs to be taped together to form a consistent barrier and also to be attached to the underfloor walls using a long lasting sealant. Look for products like Orcon F rather than relying in silicon sealers. Conventional stuff just doesn't last long enough.

I don't know the ins & outs of this. I'll have to speak to a builder when i get the chance. Maybe the bold part is the downside to solid flooring then. Though the URL doesn't seem to have much evidence to back up the statement.


Note: I'm not trying to pick holes in anyones suggestions here, but like i said - i believe everything has a downside. Nothing is 100% perfect imo. I just want to make myself aware of what the downsides are.

JustAnotherSaver

Been looking into selecting a builder to come & look at the job. The Mrs was mentioning mybuilder.com but i'm reluctant with those types of websites. I found one that's 'supposed' to be alright but it doesn't just search for builder, it breaks builder down into 101 categories.

Which one are we looking at specifically?



I'd guess either "Alternations / General / Repairs" or "Building Contractors". Not sure which this job lays with more.

Unfortunately we don't know anyone who can recommend a builder, so we're going into this pretty blind.

maas

Im in a similar position to you in that im FTB and need work doing with no references to go off etc.

I did consider RatedPeople and Mybuilder (and even Federation of Master Builders) but there's far too many horror stories on here (from both a tradesman and a customers perspective). It just seems too easy to get a white van, stick a tool box in the back and go looking for "cash in hand jobs" which are just cowboy magnets.

I've decided on the approach that if I dont have recommendations then I'll go find (what appear to be) reputable firms with a shop front or at least a proper full website, name, and are local and accessible. Found through either yell.com or internet search and then get them out for a quote/discussion.

I've already had one local firm out who quoted extremely cheap price and when I discussed additional more difficult work, they were quick to turn their nose up at it! They're just here for the easy work........... NEXT!

Always baffles me when builders cant be assed doing a certain job (you sense it when you speak to them). If i was to get in a taxi and say I want to go 60 miles up the road, I'd expect the cabbi to be delighted, he can take rest of the day off. Not turn his nose up and say "Oh errr its a big trip errr cant really do that".

JustAnotherSaver

Yeah the Mrs had mentioned mybuilder.com so i did a bit of reading on it. After the initial positive responses, one person came with a negative which sparked the domino effect - like you say, customers & tradesmen alike. I was immediately put off (i had my reservations before reading anyway on a system that is so open to abuse).

I'll have to find someone but it's going to be close your eyes & select because we've asked people we know & they either don't know a builder or they know an unreliable one. At least we know who to avoid.

cyclonebri1

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Been looking into selecting a builder to come & look at the job. The Mrs was mentioning mybuilder.com but i'm reluctant with those types of websites. I found one that's 'supposed' to be alright but it doesn't just search for builder, it breaks builder down into 101 categories.

Which one are we looking at specifically?

You do know what room 101 is don't you??. :D

Basically it's where stuff, in this case your money, goes to disappear.:rotfl::rotfl:

Pick a builder or any trade from a website at your peril.

You really are dragging this on far too long you know.

JustAnotherSaver

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Pick a builder or any trade from a website at your peril.

And the difference between Yellow Pages (book) & Yellow Pages (website) for example?

You really are dragging this on far too long you know.

Be fair.

You know i've told you that we've contacted folk. You know i've told you we've had out the people we possibly can have out. You know i've told you that those who are too busy or on Xmas shut down will see us in the new year.
So what am i to do? Tell them how dare they not see me NOW?