Damp Proof Specialists / Experience

seaswimmer · 19 October 2016 at 12:25AM

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He too was very pleasant on the phone: in person, however, he was the most aggressive {Text removed by MSE Forum Team} I have ever dealt with. He refused point-blank to assess the extent of any damp in the house, still less diagnose it or quote for remedial work. Over and over again, he repeated the same bizarre phrase: "I am here to offer you cost-effective top-down solutions to your condensation problem". Except...we *have* no condensation problem, as confirmed by the competent and thorough damp survey carried out by another contractor the following week.

Oh, and to top it all off, Mr Fuller confidently advised me that "all human beings lose six to nine litres of water per day into the air, through breathing." As the possessor of a medical degree, I can safely assure you that if you were exhaling that much water vapour, you'd be dead in days. {Text removed by MSE Forum Team}

tizzle6560 · 19 October 2016 at 11:46AM

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Wow this is really surprising to hear.. My experience with Cliff was honestly the complete opposite. He came in, assessed everywhere in the property and gave me what I believe was honest advice on what to do and how I should expect it to be done.

He also said I could contact him afterwards to check what works/costs I was being given by contractors and ensure I wasnt getting ripped off.

Considering he is effectively an independent adviser on damp- he had no ulterior motives or agenda to try and make me spend money on works that didnt need doing and I am truly grateful for the help he gave me.

As I said, a real shame you didnt have the same experience.

superfurrybiped · 22 November 2016 at 8:14AM

Resposting here as it seems like there are some knowledgeable people following this thread...

Hi there, I'll try to keep this brief and would appreciate any advice...

We've had an offer accepted on a 1920s terraced house in Cardiff that we knew needed a load of work; clear signs of damp, bouncy floors, no kitchen and decor probably also from the 1920s. We'd looked for woodworm but missed any signs of it, plus when the Homebuyer's Report came back a significant dry rot issue was noted (and possibly Radon, but I'm not even thinking about that yet!).

Dealing with these issues isn't putting us off completely as we have an experienced, trustworthy builder on board who has viewed the house with us and will carry out most of the work, however we'd like a specialist to survey the damp and timber and treat the woodworm and dry rot, plus the building society is demanding a PCA registered "surveyor". They have placed a £10k retention on the mortgage until the dry rot is remedied.

I've looked into the PCA registered damp specialists nearby who all have mixed reviews at best -plus, I don't really just want someone to come and tell me we need a damp proof course without addressing where the damp is really penetrating. Rather, I've identified a damp specialist with 30 years experience and dozens of positive testimonials from customers with similar problems. This specialist asked me to check with the building society that they would accept work that was Non-PCA certified and the building society have said they will not.

So I'd like to know:
-Is there any hope of convincing the building society that they are misguided in insisting on PCA registered work or is trying to persuade them a lost cause?
-Is it viable to get the work carried out to our satisfaction then ask the surveyor back, or would we be likely to lose the £10k retention?
-Failing these, does anyone know an experienced damp and timber expert in the Cardiff area who is PCA registered but can be trusted to assess the property properly before selling a DPC?

Many thanks in advance!

andrewjb3 · 22 November 2016 at 10:10AM

The standard reply here is to direct you to [three w's] independent damp surveyors dot co dot uk (Remove the spaces!) That site has one about an hour from Cardiff who's PCA registered.. Can't vouch for or against him, though.

Grotdog · 23 November 2016 at 9:25PM

This is a common problem. PCA pay a lot of money to some financial organisations to recommend them. If you push the issue, and say that you want a properly qualified surveyor - either RICS conservation or IHBC - you will get there. Speak to John Edwards at Edwards Hart Associates in Cardiff - he is fantastic - used to run Cardiff Castle for CADW - one of the best. He will sort you out.
You could also have a look at this:
heritage-house.org/what-to-do-when-a-rics-survey-insists-on-a-pca-damp-report.html

superfurrybiped · 27 November 2016 at 11:49AM

Thanks Grotdog! I hadn't come across John Edwards, I'll give them a call.

lumene2016 · 18 March 2017 at 2:42PM

Mr Fuller did an inspection just this week. He was very friendly, trying to assess over the phone the damp situation and give advice ...so that we would not even need to have his inspection! I insisted that he would come and do the onsite inspection. He was very thorough and systematic, asking key questions and trying to find the route cause of the problem. His approach was very professional and with clear measurements he proved where the problem was coming from.
He offered practical advice on what can be done while trying to minimize our expenses.
When he left the house I felt re-assured and clear on what needs to be done.
Would definitely recommend Mr Fuller

tizzle6560 · 20 March 2017 at 11:17AM

lumene2016 wrote: »

Mr Fuller did an inspection just this week. He was very friendly, trying to assess over the phone the damp situation and give advice ...so that we would not even need to have his inspection! I insisted that he would come and do the onsite inspection. He was very thorough and systematic, asking key questions and trying to find the route cause of the problem. His approach was very professional and with clear measurements he proved where the problem was coming from.
He offered practical advice on what can be done while trying to minimize our expenses.
When he left the house I felt re-assured and clear on what needs to be done.
Would definitely recommend Mr Fuller

I'm pleased that you had a similar experience to me with Cliff. :beer:

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