Redoing kitchen and damp issues

sophi123

Hi - we bought a house about 6 months ago and are wanting to redo the kitchen.

One external wall by the washing machine is obviously damp - mouldy crumbling plaster etc. We had this checked out pre moving in and at the time was told it was probably due to a leaking pipe. However having lived in the house for a while it is now obvious that there is more of a damp issue in the house - the external wall often feels wet to the touch and some of the cupboards smell fairly damp etc.

Obviously before spending thousands on a new kitchen we are keen to fix the underlying problem. It is obviously also hard for us to tell what that problem is pre pulling out kitChen.

We have had two builders round - first had damp meter and confirmed that walls and floor were damp. Suggested the walls may be caused by cracked render on outside of house. Suggested we got that fixed in due course but for now they could strip back plaster and seal room with sand and cement render with a waterproof and salt inhibiting additive.

The second builder came today and said he couldn't assess or fix problem himself but wondered if might be problem with damp course / rising damp and suggested getting a damp expert in to quote before he would plaster.

I guess I have been wary about getting a damp specialist round cos you read all these things about how they will just make your fork out for loads of damp course treatment you don't need etc. But then equally I am not sure whether to trust that the first buildwr's suggestion will work.

Basically keen to fix the problem, but not waste money or put in new kitchen and then it get ruined cos problem not actually fixed!

Any thoughts or advice really appreciated.

pickledonionspaceraider

I know you are not keen on getting a damp specialist round, but really, they will know more than builders about this stuff

the cracked render does sound a good place to start however

plumb1_2

Yes get the cracked rendering fixed, if unpainted spray/paint it with water seal. Also if the damp is local to the washing machine/sink i would install a vent to see if it dryied out. Most cheap damp meters will give a damp reading this time of the year.

Lungboy

Anyone that might be looking to sell you a treatment isn't the sort of damp specialist you want. We went with Damp Detectives, but I'm sure there are others. It cost a couple hundred quid but was well worth it.

Doozergirl

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

I know you are not keen on getting a damp specialist round, but really, they will know more than builders about this stuff

the cracked render does sound a good place to start however

It has to be someone independent though, not someone who sells DPCs and the like.

There is is some magical mystery around damp and 'specialists' when actually, a builder with half a brain can work it out. The marketing of the word 'damp specialist' means that somehow even builders put these people on a level with brain surgeons, when they are often just sales people with no clue whatsoever.

Priority for me would be to find the source of the dampness which may mean removing part of the cabinetry earlier than the rest, but would be better in thw long run.

Is the DPC clearly visible on the outside of this wall? Does the render sit above it?