Rising Damp Advice

FTSE

Hi Guys/Gals

We live in a semi (3 bed) and have rising damp on the internal/party wall.
The house next door is council, ours is owed. I have been next door and asked if they have the same problem but it seem to only be on our side.

There is a few things I would like to know.
How much (roughly) is damp proofing?
Can I have it done on just one wall or would I need to do the whole house.
How would they install it on and internal wall?

Thank you FTSE xxx

TheCyclingProgrammer

How do you know for certain that you have "rising damp"? Have you had a chemical DPC salesman out to have a look?

A chemical DPC would also require you chopping off the plaster back to brick up to a certain height (about 1m IIRC) and having it re-plastered with special render/additives and waiting months for it to dry properly before you can redecorate.

FreeBear

TheCyclingProgrammer wrote: »

A chemical DPC would also require you chopping off the plaster back to brick up to a certain height (about 1m IIRC) and having it re-plastered with special render/additives and waiting months for it to dry properly before you can redecorate.

As this is an internal wall, the floor would need to be lifted and plastering done on both sides. Then in three to five years, the damp will return and another salesman will flog an identical treatment.

If it is damp, it is more likely to be a condensation/ventilation issue than rising damp. When was the property constructed ?

Grenage

Condensation on an internal party wall seems a bit unlikely, doesn't it? Have you got any pipes around that area?

FTSE

There is no water/pipes on that side of the house.
I assume it is rising damp by the descriptions I have read.
"Tide like markings, salt marks and damp to the touch"
I have someone coming out to day to give a quote. They can't remove the floor to fix the problem as we have solid floors (concrete/black ash floors)
The house was built in the 1920 and is a prefab

ComicGeek

What's happening on the other side of the party wall though? Have you popped round to your neighbours to have a look? Could be that they have a leaking pipe/drain in this location which is causing the damp? Is the adjacent room heated? Do you have suitable ventilation in your room?

My opinion is that rising damp doesn't exist, and a whole industry has been set up to con people out of money to treat it. I haven't yet seen a case that hasn't been solved by looking for leaks or condensation.

Marktheshark

Is ir a wood or concrete floor ?

FreeBear

FTSE wrote: »

I have someone coming out to day to give a quote. They can't remove the floor to fix the problem as we have solid floors (concrete/black ash floors)
The house was built in the 1920 and is a prefab

Marktheshark wrote: »

Is ir a wood or concrete floor ?

I would suggest that there is either a bitumastic or slate DPC between the slab and the walls. But it really depends on the type of prefab construction.

There is a possibility that moisture is penetrating the external wall and tracking across the party wall - It may well be difficult to pin down the exact cause. But until the root of the problem has been identified and fixed, don't waste money on injected DPC treatments and fancy waterproof plaster.

trigger_fish

As a poster has said some surveyors dispute that rising damp even exists but obviously the damp proof fellas on inspection will take a different view.

TheCyclingProgrammer

If you’re unable to find the root cause yourself then I’d recommend paying for an independent damp survey. Any free survey from a DPC company is just a sales pitch in disguise.