Level 3 RICS survey: rising damp diagnosed, £7,500 to fix?!

jmo81

Mardle said:

Is it occupied or empty?

Our 1908 built end terrace had been empty for some time & the survey mentioned damp in several ground floor rooms. As we were getting work done before we got 3 quotes from builders. 2 (older) builders didn't think any work was needed. The 3rd brought in a 'damp treatment' company who quoted over £3K for the work needed. That was almost 8 years ago, No signs of damp now. No work done to rectify the 'damp' other than ventilation & living in the house. There were no extractor fans at all. We now have one in the kitchen & both bathrooms. 

It is empty, has been for about 6 months I think. I agree, ventilation is what's needed immediately. I suppose I was alarmed when reading about the uselessness of the meter used to detect this damp, but let's say for argument's sake that they do - the lack of someone living in the house atm could well be the reason for the readings.

mark_cycling00

To put a perspective from my experience (I'm not disagreeing with anything in the above posts)

When a surveyor says "evidence of rising damp" this does not necessarily equate to "evidence of rising damp that needs to be fixed"

If they find anything then they must report on it, they are risk-averse. 

The survey on our place found a horror reel of damp walls and floors in the living room. But 3 years later there's never been a spot of visible damp/mould nor any damp smell. I bought a moisture meter - never exceeds 50% but regularly exceeds 75% in the modern kitchen. 

I guess there is a "balancing point" where there is some moisture in the walls/floor but we have enough air flow and heat for it to evaporate and not rise any further. 

jmo81

mark_cycling00 said:

To put a perspective from my experience (I'm not disagreeing with anything in the above posts)

When a surveyor says "evidence of rising damp" this does not necessarily equate to "evidence of rising damp that needs to be fixed"

If they find anything then they must report on it, they are risk-averse. 

The survey on our place found a horror reel of damp walls and floors in the living room. But 3 years later there's never been a spot of visible damp/mould nor any damp smell. I bought a moisture meter - never exceeds 50% but regularly exceeds 75% in the modern kitchen. 

I guess there is a "balancing point" where there is some moisture in the walls/floor but we have enough air flow and heat for it to evaporate and not rise any further. 

Thanks, this accords with what I'm thinking.

FreeBear

jmo81 said: I suppose I was alarmed when reading about the uselessness of the meter used to detect this damp

In the right hands, and used wisely, these damp meters can be used to identify areas that require further investigation. For example, mark out a grid of (say) 500mm squares. Measure and record the readings in each square. You find one column with high readings, increasing as you get towards the ceiling. Most likely cause, leaking gutter.

Or... You find a line of similar readings at 1m above floor level - A good indicator of the damp proof wallies slapping their magical plaster on the wall (always to a height of 1-1.2m for some reason).

jmo81

@FreeBear I think I read the theory is gravity pulls water back down at that point... Potentially dodgy physics.