Problem with DPM

Essex123

We had a water leak under our concrete kitchen floor which has been exposed and fixed.  The leak was close to the edge of the room and when the leak detection company exposed the leak they had to make two cuts in the DPM.  The DPM edge ran parallel to - but not joined with - the internal wall.

The insurers have subsequently sent assessors regarding making good the damage. They have identified that the wall itself is damp proofed with concrete render, and are saying that because the DPM was not originally tied into the walls the repair of the DPM is not covered by the policy.

I’m not particularly knowledgeable in these matters so I was wondering whether there is a valid reason why DPM under a concrete floor would not have been tied into the wall?

There has never been a problem with damp - except due to the pipe leak - and I’m not really sure how we would go about bridging the gap, especially as it likely runs longer under the wall than has been exposed.

Would welcome any thoughts.  Thanks!

stuart45

Depends when your house was built. DPM's were made part of the Regs in the mid 60's, but even in the 70's it was still common practice to cut the DPM off between the slab and inner skin, before laying out the DPC. It was easier than bending the plastic over the inner skin and then laying AAC blockwork over it. After a while it was seen as a weak spot in the floor/wall junction and nowadays the bricklayers wouldn't get away with this practice.

grumbler

Essex123 said:

The insurers have subsequently sent assessors regarding making good the damage. They have identified that the wall itself is damp proofed with concrete render, and are saying that because the DPM was not originally tied into the walls the repair of the DPM is not covered by the policy.

IMO, typically for all insurers they do their best to find all possible excuses.

If it wasn't tied to the wall, then repair it to the original state.   If you want to have it tied  and this is possible, you pay extra. As simple as that.

stuart45

Essex123 said: and I’m not really sure how we would go about bridging the gap, especially as it likely runs longer under the wall than has been exposed.

Would welcome any thoughts.  Thanks!

BRE used to recommend 3 coats of Synthaprufe at the wall/floor junction on new builds, before they tightened up on the problem.

Essex123

Thanks for your comments, the house was built around the year 2000, by what I believe was a small company. I will call the insurer on Monday with a view to repairing like for like - we are planning an extension in the next 12-18 months which will remove the wall in question so it seems that would be the best opportunity to resolve properly.