Buying a house with a damp party wall?

sw_mina

Dear all

We've had an offer accepted on a granite cottage. There is damp in the party wall over the area where the house's drains supposedly run.

Can anyone tell us what steps we would need to take to resolve this damp and the likely cost and implications of it being in a party wall? We are debating whether it is worth continuing with the sale.

Would you ask for/pay for a specialist damp survey to identify the cause of the damp and then knock the cost of the works off the offer? If it is a leaking drain causing the damp... is that dire?

nick12

Can you not give the surveyor a ring and get his "off the record" view on these issues? Maybe we were just lucky but ours was quite candid and helpful when I spoke to him direct (despite the written report being the usual back covering type stuff).

G_M

Yes, a leaking drain could be major, depending where exactly it is and what the access is. What if it is directly beneath the wall...?

And it's a party wall. So any work will need coordinting wih the neighbour, ading nother elelment of complexity.

Of course, everything is fixable. The quesion is at what price financially? And are you prepared for the physical disruption? And neighbourly arangements which might be smooth but might not?

sw_mina

Thanks guys.

The surveyor couldn't say what was causing the damp. Would the only way to find out be to dig up the floor and look at the drainage? Would a damp specialist be able to "diagnose" without digging up the floor? Or is that the only way to work out what needs doing?

G_M

sw_mina wrote: »

Thanks guys.

The surveyor couldn't say what was causing the damp. Would the only way to find out be to dig up the floor and look at the drainage? Would a damp specialist be able to "diagnose" without digging up the floor? Or is that the only way to work out what needs doing?

Depends what the cause is! A drainage company might be able to stick a camera down and spot a break. £100 - £150?

A damp specialist (beware a [STRIKE]salesman[/STRIKE] surveyor offering a free 'survey' by a damp company looking for work) might easily identify the origin of the damp..... or might need to dig up the floor.

sw_mina

The vendor now says he installed a new drain last year (it's on private drainage that was previously shared with next door).

So... where else could it be coming from?

G_M

The bathroom.
Leaking gutters.
The neighbour's jacuzi located the other side of the wall.
Supply pipe in the wall.
Condensation.
Leaking roof.
Overflowing water tank in attic.
Rising damp due to non-existant, or breached, damp proof course.
Last years new drain poorly connected.

Need I go on....?

sw_mina

Ok, thanks. Well the surveyor has shown us a photo he took that appears to show a dark damp patch rising up from the skirting board to around a couple of inches above it... it is dead centre in the middle of the wall (ie not near the external elevation) presumably that means it is rising from the floor or from something very low in the wall like pipework?

Other culprits...

The bathroom - is upstairs on the other side of the house; not sure where nextdoor's bathroom is

Leaking gutters - wouldn't that come down the ceiling or wall not travel up from the floor?

The neighbour's jacuzi located the other side of the wall - if they've got one, I want a go!

Supply pipe in the wall - There are no pipes in that wall for the house we are trying to buy, but next door have a radiator on the wall apparently.

Condensation - would that show up only at the bottom of the wall though and nowhere else?

Leaking roof - There is no roof over this wall - it's the ground floor of a two story house.

Overflowing water tank in attic - Again, wouldn't that show as damp upstairs first?

Rising damp due to non-existant, or breached, damp proof course - He says he has laid a poly membrane on the floor and in the wall but I guess that masks not treats the problem?

Last years new drain poorly connected - Granted!

Is it completely bad form to go around and ask the neighbours if they know the source?

G_M

sw_mina wrote: »

.......

The neighbour's jacuzi located the other side of the wall - if they've got one, I want a go! Are you sure? Have you seen the neighbours......

........

Is it completely bad form to go around and ask the neighbours if they know the source?

I would always recommend knocking on the neighbours' doors before Exchanging, irrespective of this problem.
* They will often tell you stuff about the house the sellers would never mention
* They will often tell you stuff about the street/area the sellers would never mention
* you get an idea if you are about to move in next to the neighbours from hell
* you'll get an idea whether they will be cooperative or obstructive with party wall/shared roof/chimney repairs etc

And in this case, you might learn a lot about the damp.......

Don't forget to have a chat with the postman, cornershop owner etc about the area.

And spend an evening in the nearest pub. Even if you're not a drinker/pub-goer.

sw_mina

Thanks.

It's so hard to know how worried to be about it and we are dubious about the vendor's hypothesis it was "wet paint" the surveyor detected... He says a previous surveyor damaged the wall and he had patched and painted it the day before.