Flat sale - condensation

AliceBanned

There is a nearby flat in similar condition asking price £10k more than mine sold for.

ThisIsWeird

AliceBanned said:

My next door neighbour’s in similar condition sold for £2k less a few months ago. However my flat is worth more in my opinion than next door as it has better outlook and more windows due to being triple aspect when next door has dual aspect. I would drop the agreed price as mentioned but feel equal price to next door is probably not justified.

Triple-aspect sounds nice, so - yes - very likely worth more. But small variations in value like that can be affected by all sorts of influences - including sheer luck in finding the right buyer at the right time.

Aluminium-framed doors are ok - there is nothing inherently wrong with them. If you have excessive condensation, you need to remove the cause, or ventilate the excess away. It isn't a 'fault'. It just needs a strategy.

If the door is leaking, then - yes - that should ideally be sorted, as that is a 'fault', but with an easy cure. 

But cond is different. Ventilate ventilate vent...

AliceBanned

Interesting as last night I slept in my spare room. Left both vents open and had background heating on in the corridor (storage so heats up overnight). No condensation whatsoever in the room with the balcony. Carpet still feels damp but hasn’t increased - it gets damp along the edge by the door but I will try this for a few nights and see whether it dries out. In the meantime trying to get a glass fitter to advise but no luck so far.

ThisIsWeird

AliceBanned said:

Interesting as last night I slept in my spare room. Left both vents open and had background heating on in the corridor (storage so heats up overnight). No condensation whatsoever in the room with the balcony. Carpet still feels damp but hasn’t increased - it gets damp along the edge by the door but I will try this for a few nights and see whether it dries out. In the meantime trying to get a glass fitter to advise but no luck so far.

Sounds promising.

It would be good to know where the damp on the carpet is coming from - leak, or cond (hopefully cond now largely under control).

Any chance of some photos? Espec outside, around the frame-to-wall joints.

What will a 'glass fitter' advise on? Seriously, if that existing door is double-glazed, and seals nicely when closed, it's 'fine', and doesn't need replacing. Yes, a modern door will be 'better', but not remotely worth the cost.

The cond needs managing. A new door won't 'cure' it.

See if you can get that bit of carpet dry, and then you can monitor it for reoccurrence. Leave the door fully open on dry days, and let the air vent it dry. Try and draw out as much as possible first using towels on top, and standing on them! If the carpet edge lifts, then raise it up and shove in newspapers - stamp repeatedly, remove damp papers, and then prop something underneath to keep the carpet raised - get a draught under there.

Photos!

AliceBanned

Thanks TIW. The carpets aren’t sodden. I’ve lifted them up and trying to dry with dehumidifier. 

AliceBanned

Not sure whether these pics give more idea? It’s a Juliette balcony on second floor so it’s hard to get pics. There is a railing a few inches away. I can try again if these aren’t helpful. 

ThisIsWeird

So it has a timber frame surrounding the doors? Hard to see its condition, but this gives two points of entry - where the timber meets the brick, and where the door meets the timber! Really, it needs someone on-site to check it all, and redo the frame-sealing if needed - that bead of mastic that keeps it weathertight. The timber will likely need treating and coating, too.

I wouldn't bother with the dehumidifier for trying to dry a small damp patch - just mop excess, lift it up, support it, air it, and leave the door open on nice dry days.

Use kitchen paper to wipe clean around the inside frame, especially along the bottom where it meets the floor. With this clean and dry, and hopefully the carpet along there lifted slightly, you should be able to see if any water comes through again, rather than it just forming on the glass and running down.

AliceBanned

Thanks TiW yes timber frame. Built in 1992 so probably not in good condition now! 

ThisIsWeird

AliceBanned said:

This is a sliding door, with one section fixed? Or can both slide?
Anyhoo - do you have Marigolds? And cleaning liquid? Cool - I suggest get scrubbin', inside and out.
Scrub down the timber frame - use an extension pole if needed. Clean the timber sill, and the whole outside of the glass and Ali frame - use a hose to rinse down.
Clean the inside edges of the opening. And then clean the inside floor where the door meets it - get is all as clean as possible.
Could you take some photos of the inside, along the bottom - a wide shot taking in the whole door width, and a few closeups, especially where the carpet was damp, please.
Q - was the carpet damp all along the door width, or just in isolated places? Note where, please.

AliceBanned

ThisIsWeird said:

AliceBanned said:

This is a sliding door, with one section fixed? Or can both slide?
Anyhoo - do you have Marigolds? And cleaning liquid? Cool - I suggest get scrubbin', inside and out.
Scrub down the timber frame - use an extension pole if needed. Clean the timber sill, and the whole outside of the glass and Ali frame - use a hose to rinse down.
Clean the inside edges of the opening. And then clean the inside floor where the door meets it - get is all as clean as possible.
Could you take some photos of the inside, along the bottom - a wide shot taking in the whole door width, and a few closeups, especially where the carpet was damp, please.
Q - was the carpet damp all along the door width, or just in isolated places? Note where, please.

Ok you’ve set me a job!😅. I will do what I can today - I get the window cleaned every six weeks - guy uses a pole from the ground. I will do the edges and take pics later. Obviously window cleaner only does so much as it is second floor. It’s hard to get close to (and I hate spiders) but will have a go. Yes just one side opens.