Damp.

mrsmazza · 22 February 2019 at 8:26AM

We own a 3 bed 1930,s semi which we bought 10yrs ago as a btl.
5 yrs ago we had a damp course done inside.
The last year downstairs has had a bad problem with damp, so we decided to get a building company in to investigate. They have suggested getting the whole building repointed. Also pulling down an old lean too, and repainting the whole outside. They have quoted £ 10,000. Does this sound like it could be the cause of the problem. And cost about right ?

jtimeonmyhands · 22 February 2019 at 9:22AM

Where is the damp? Is it high up, at floor level, etc?

We had damp issues in a 1900s terrace which was a combination of yers of bad practice, including:

blocked airbricks (result, flaking plaster)
2 cold walls which caught little or no sun and which had been papered in non-breathable wallpaper. (result, flaking plaster, and black mould at various heights)
An interior water pipe leak (result, rising damp)

In the end, no exterior work was required, simply redecorated with paint, cleared the airbricks and fixed the leak.

mrsmazza · 22 February 2019 at 10:23AM

Front, sides and back all ground floor.all external walls.

Sibz · 5 March 2019 at 4:59PM

You can usually find companies that specialise in damp work - try and find one that a family member, or friend recommends though to avoid cowboys.

There's nothing wrong with getting more opinions or quotes. You can research damp fairly easily - I had to a few years ago due to issues that turned out to be rising damp. If You have a rough line between 1 and 3 feet above ground level it is likely to be rising damp.

Damaged pointing can lead to it and an old lean-to (or stairs etc) can be ways that water can get in above your damp course if there are holes etc.

My house was built around the same time. The company we used replaced the damp proof by removing plaster and injecting the walls before replastering. A hole in the neighbours stairs was also repaired. It's messy work but fixed the problem.

Doozergirl · 5 March 2019 at 11:53PM

Post us some photos, inside and outside. Please try to photograph whole walls and elevations, as well as the close up stuff. Inside the lean-to agains the original wall as well.

We're looking for good reasons.

What you've learned is that the DPC was useless and that the people you're dealing with don't seem to genuinely know what they're talking about. The original problem has probably remained, continuing to leech water into the house, only disguised by the waterproof plastering inside.

Let's try and save some money!

bertiewhite · 6 March 2019 at 1:26AM

My old stone cottage in Wales had no damp course.

The damp that I had was cured by opening the windows & turning the heating on (both things that the previous owner hadn't done) and then removing high trees close to the house, sorting the guttering and lastly, removing cement mortar and repointing with lime mortar.

startingout2016 · 24 March 2019 at 9:35AM

Injected damp treatments rarely work (some surveyors say it’s snake oil)

Rising damp is so very rare if a thing at all.

If someone is told that faulty external pointing causes rising damp, it doesn’t. It causes penetrating damp.

Rising damp where there is no penetrating means of water from outside is normally due to leaky pipework inside and under the floor

Damp.

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free