Rough cost of replacing old rendering

Just an update guys,

Had 2 guys come round to take a look at the the rendering which has blown in a few places.

I also had a well reviewed damp/water company come who advised (based on humidity/temp and the coldness of the wall) that it was condensation. Kudos to alastair!

I don't need an airbrick as its vented from the top. I do need to re-insulate above the bedroom.

He gave me a quote on taking off the bedroom plaster, applying a membrane, damp proof boards, some mesh material and then the damp proof plaster. Expensive job though (£2k) for one wall but they guarantee to fix the issue for 20 years.

Confused why they want to introduce a membrane, actually im at a loss why any of that work is necessary!
If it is indeed condensation on a cold wall the remedy would be to lower the moisture content in the room, ventilate and introduce heat to the cold surface.

alastairreid said:

Confused why they want to introduce a membrane, actually im at a loss why any of that work is necessary!
If it is indeed condensation on a cold wall the remedy would be to lower the moisture content in the room, ventilate and introduce heat to the cold surface.

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We do have some vents in the room and a dehumidifier running. It was based on the salts that were already coming through and the amount of patches if we didn’t want it coming back. I’ll post up the quote details when I get them this week.

MartinB85 said:

We do have some vents in the room and a dehumidifier running. It was based on the salts that were already coming through and the amount of patches if we didn’t want it coming back. I’ll post up the quote details when I get them this week.

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Hey, so to give you a heads up this is the work that they quoted

1. We will remove and dispose of damp and salt-contaminated wall plaster to the full height of the wall. The removal of these wall plasters is necessary for two reasons:



a) To allow for the installation of the damp proofing system; and



b) Because of the presence of the salt contamination. The ground and all building materials have salts in them. These salts, if not removed will remain on the surface of the wall, attract and hold any humidity from the nearby air, making the wall continue to appear damp even if the source of the dampness has been cured.



2. We will fit a damp proof membrane to form a lasting barrier to any damp or salt contamination which might otherwise make its way through the wall.



3. We will fix thermal insulating plasterboard to help increase room temperature and raise wall surface temperature, combatting condensation.



4. We will apply a skim coat of plaster to ensure that the walls have a smooth finish, ready for decoration.



Essential work required (optional)

1. We will supply and fit an EnviroVent Cyclone Lifetime Humidistat-Controlled extractor fan to the bathroom. This is an industry-leading extractor fan; it is highly efficient at expelling moisture laden air from a property quickly and is ideal for kitchens, bathrooms and WCs. The installation of this fan will considerably lower the humidity in the property, dramatically reducing the risk of condensation and mould forming.

Ignoring the fan, which we plan to do anyway, would you advise getting the work done? If so any idea on what price I should be looking at for that 1 wall?

Cheers

MartinB85 said:

3. We will fix thermal insulating plasterboard to help increase room temperature and raise wall surface temperature, combatting condensation.

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If it is just condensation then that one step will solve your problem.
Might be worth getting a cheap hygrometer and keeping a log over a month.

One other thing is to check the render at the bottom where it meets the exposed brick work. I have seen quite a few houses where the water catches the bricks and runs back inwards the house, they tend to be solid wall ontop so the damp tracks through.

MartinB85 said:

would you advise getting the work done? If so any idea on what price I should be looking at for that 1 wall?
Cheers

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No.
Insulated boards and skimmed to get rid of the cold surface....a days work for 2 men £600-£700 tops.

tomfe said:

If it is just condensation then that one step will solve your problem.
Might be worth getting a cheap hygrometer and keeping a log over a month.

One other thing is to check the render at the bottom where it meets the exposed brick work. I have seen quite a few houses where the water catches the bricks and runs back inwards the house, they tend to be solid wall ontop so the damp tracks through.

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Thanks for the advice,

Would I best off using a damp sealant on the wall and then dot and dab the boards on or would it work better putting on a shallow stud frame instead and then screw the boards on. I feel capable doing that and then getting someone to do the plaster work, save me a small fortune.

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/drylining.htm

This is what I had in mind, this advises stapling a membrane to the stud frame but is that needed?

Thanks

alastairreid said:

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Since it's a condensation issue do you reckon taking out a brick in the closed off chimney and putting in a small fly vent would help at all. We generally have the windows on the 1st latch to circulate air, and there is an air brick already on another external wall.

I'm unsure what the closed of chimney will be blocked off with or when it was done, there is a flat cowl on top to let air in and stop rain water. A few have said get one done, most have said if we already have circulation in the room and its not blocked at the top it won't be necessary.

Cheers

Its supposed to be vented at the bottom as well to allow the air to circulate.