Damp, something else, or nothing to worry about? Thinking of next offer

GermanderSpeedwell

Hello all,
First time posting here. We put a below-asking price offer on a Victorian house in south London. The offer was rejected, and we were thinking of increasing it. There are things that need fixing/sorting out, so we are trying to determine how much remedial work would be needed guide our decision on how much we offer next.

In the lower ground floor there is a 'workshop' that has evidence of damp (at least that's what the estate agent said, he wasn't hiding it). We took a photo of some wall damage in this room (an interior wall), which I have posted below. In your opinion is this wall damage related to damp or something else completely? And do you think it's evidence of something that could be expensive to fix? Appreciate that this is not much to go on, but it's all that we have at the moment!

Thanks a lot for your help in advance!

Sean

FreeBear

Three issues with that wall..

1) That copper pipe should be sleeved to protect it from corrosion when in contact with plaster/cement.

2) The wall has had a skim of gypsum over lime plaster and then painted with modern (non-breathable) paints

3) Solid floor - You need to check to see if it is concrete - Again. painted with a modern paint.

I'd hazard a guess that the floor & paints have pushed background moisture in to the wall and is causing the woodwork & plaster to slowly degrade. If the floor is indeed concrete and has been used to replace a suspended wooden floor, a long term repair is going to be expensive. Short term "fix" (or bodge if you prefer), is to strip off the plaster to around 1m high. Slap on a layer of waterproof render/plaster, and then sell within 5 years. The next owner will have to do further "repairs" in 10-12 years..

GermanderSpeedwell

Hello FreeBear,

Thanks a lot, that's all extremely useful to know! Unfortunately (for us), we were thinking of this as a place we could live for the long term, so it would be something we need to sort out ourselves. By the sounds of it we would be better sticking with a low offer with this extra work needed...

I'm 90% sure the whole lower ground floor is covered in concrete (approximately 40 square metres). I would assume based on your description that the whole floor should be replaced/repaired to fix this issue, as it will happen anywhere there is concrete flooring? If so, what would a ballpark figure be for doing this? In the five figures?

Sean

FreeBear

Check around the outside of the property - If there are signs of air bricks just above ground level (also worth having a look at neighbouring properties), it is a good sign that the floor has been replaced. To reinstate a suspended timber floor is going to be expensive. Four to five figures (London rates can get silly). But on the plus side, you can incorporate a decent level of insulation which will help to keep the place warm.