Damp Damp Damp

ST1991

bmthmark wrote: »

When you say tested the walls was this the "damp expert"?
If so this maybe useful to read: http://www.heritage-house.org/the-ping-prong-meter-guilty-of-fraud.html

That is the culprit they used!
Although, it is visibly damp (where wallpaper has been peeled away you can clearly see a line between dry plaster at the bottom meter of the wall, then suddenly wet plaster, then dry plaster above it. This is on the adjoining walls as it is a terrace. Next door has no issues as they invited us to have a look at the work they had done, and we asked them.

perhaps we DON'T, need a new damp proof course (except for the exterior walls, as they don't have one) but can just replaster above the existing DPC?

Hoploz

ST1991 wrote: »

Would that be the same for the front of the house...?
It was tenanted long-term previously, and they had piled mud (YES, MUD) at the front of the house against the exterior wall for the living room... and wondered why it was damp in that corner...

At the front there is about a 2-3 inch gap between the paving slabs and exterior walls filled with what i can only describe as driveway pebbles/stones. No idea why..!

That is to provide drainage. The gravel gives rainwater the chance to drain down past the ground level to soil beneath (and beneath the floor). As has already been said, modern building regs suggest ground level should be at least 6" or approx 2 bricks below floor level.

bmthmark

I would take the advice of G_M (posted above):
"Pay an independant damp surveyor who does not do remedial work himself, for an objecive report/"

That way the person surveying is not doing the actual fix so it won't be in his/hers interest to lie.

phoebe1989seb

ST1991 wrote: »

At the front there is about a 2-3 inch gap between the paving slabs and exterior walls filled with what i can only describe as driveway pebbles/stones. No idea why..!

Sounds as though some interpretation of a French drain may have already been added?

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with all the advice to lower external ground levels, this isn't always possible. Our last house (in a rural village) had Tarmac pavement right up against the front external wall of our Georgian stone building......and our current Victorian detached house is built into an escarpment, meaning it is 2+3 storeys (plus cellar) at the rear yet only appears to be 1+2 storeys at the front. If we were to lower our ground levels we'd have to dig down some 10' in places :eek:

Slinky

ST1991 wrote: »

At the front there is about a 2-3 inch gap between the paving slabs and exterior walls filled with what i can only describe as driveway pebbles/stones. No idea why..!

This may have been done to protect the wall against damage by rain. If you have a hard surface up to the bottom of your brick wall over a long time rain hitting the ground bounces up and hits your brickwork at the same sort of angle each time. If you have stones at the bottom, rain striking the stones is deflected in different directions causing less damage to the surface of your bricks.

cloo

I also recommend an independent damp surveyor for this to get the true picture. Suppliers will *always* make the case for pricey work.

Katgrit

I had an independant damp surveyor come round and talk me through everything, then got quotes off companies for the work he told me I needed doing. One thing he pointed out was a problem with terraced house afjoining walls I hadn't considered. Unless you're neighbor has had theirs done, then you definitely will need tanking or membrane rather than just the injectable stuff. This is because if you just have the injectable stuff done then damp will be rising in your neighbours walls and up structures like chimney breasts on your adjoining wall (my neighbors chimney is on the other side of the dining room wall) above the height of your injections, and so it'll get breached from next door.

Was an old bloke past retirement age and he knew his stuff! Didn't own a company fixing damp, just told me what remedial action I needed to arrange.

amateur_house

Katgrit wrote: »

I had an independant damp surveyor come round and talk me through everything, then got quotes off companies for the work he told me I needed doing. One thing he pointed out was a problem with terraced house afjoining walls I hadn't considered. Unless you're neighbor has had theirs done, then you definitely will need tanking or membrane rather than just the injectable stuff. This is because if you just have the injectable stuff done then damp will be rising in your neighbours walls and up structures like chimney breasts on your adjoining wall (my neighbors chimney is on the other side of the dining room wall) above the height of your injections, and so it'll get breached from next door.

Was an old bloke past retirement age and he knew his stuff! Didn't own a company fixing damp, just told me what remedial action I needed to arrange.

How did you find the independent damp surveyor? I'm looking for a damp surveyor at the moment and was quoted £260/£290 which seems expensive. Another company that does the work will charge £90 for a survey and estimate to do any necessary work.

Mr.Generous

Dont be tempted to just replaster, it costs next to nothing more to use plastering sand, cement and a damp proof additive. Gypsum plaster will draw any damp, the above mix wont. My brother in law has done damp work for about 20 years and used the high pressure injection stuff and more recently the creams. He has seen the electrical charge stuff fail many times, and the dutch vents (like ceramic breathers I think you'd describe them as) many times. They have had 1 guarantee claim they had to re-fix after 19 yrs. He says plaster off to 4ft (1.2 mtr) is the most you will need, in places if the damp is limited he recommends a minimum of a foot (300mm) higher than the highest damp spot. Renovating property I find the injection creams do work, just done a house and the materials cost about £150. It took two of us about 5 days to do the work.

ember2001

amateur_house wrote: »

How did you find the independent damp surveyor? I'm looking for a damp surveyor at the moment and was quoted £260/£290 which seems expensive. Another company that does the work will charge £90 for a survey and estimate to do any necessary work.

I recently paid about £400 for an independent timber/damp survey. Well worth it as we were reassured about some areas we thought were damp and may have paid out on. So your quote seems good.