Damp caused by drying plaster

Sarahkpd

Hello All,


I'm in the process of buying my first house (3 bed mid Victorian terrace) and recently had a RISCS level two survey completed. The survey reported that there is damp in the walls of the ground floor and within the chimney stack in the roof space that required urgent attention (score 3).


I asked the estate agent if the house had had a damp proof course and if the seller had the relevant guarantees. The estate agent said that the seller usually does damp proof and he will ask about guarantees. He then said that the damp could just be down to where the walls have been re-plastered and the damp areas are where the plaster is still drying. Is this possible? Would drying plaster show as damp on a meter reading? There was at least a month between my first viewing and the survey and the plaster had already been painted over then.


A bit about the house: It is currently owned by a builder who had previously rented it out, he has now refurbished it to sell, so it's had fresh plaster, new carpets, kitchen, bathroom, boiler ect.




Any help much appreciated!

teneighty

Yes it could, but are you prepared to take the chance? A newly plastered wall could take weeks to dry out properly or it could be masking a pre-existing damp problem.

You could get a specialist damp survey to see if there are any underlying building defects which could be causing damp but the only way to have it tested is deep wall probes or a calcium carbide meter test both of which require drilling numerous deep holes in to the walls which the vendor probably won't agree too.

FreeBear

teneighty wrote: »

Yes it could, but are you prepared to take the chance? A newly plastered wall could take weeks to dry out properly or it could be masking a pre-existing damp problem.

As it is a Victorian property, one would hope that appropriate materials had been used - If the builder has slapped tanking slurry on the walls and overcoated with gypsum, it might be dry in a month or so (less if it is dot'n'dab plasterboard).

With appropriate traditional materials (i.e. lime plaster), it would take a year or two for the plaster to fully dry and harden up - Painted with a suitable breathable paint, that wouldn't be a problem.