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Hi Bunny, do you have an email address and I'll send it to you. Or email me on [email protected] and I'll send you an electronic copy by return. Joe

I'll also point out that the rising damp demonstrated in these clips is not true rising damp, it is what I call induced rising damp because it is caused by human intervention.

You can disagree all you like Kazuya but you're wrong. You should not apply anything to walls because they need to breathe in order to manage moisture. If you have wall base damp you need to make a decision between whether you want to manage or cure the damp. Retrofit DPC injection and...

I've no doubt you have argued and won the case with a building control officer Woody but he was wrong to agree and should have known and understood the building regulations better. Resistance to moisture is also about protecting the building fabric and if you understand the concept of hydraulic...

Woody is spot on when he says remove with a dry brush (Use a stiff brush not a wire brush) only but salts do have a detrimental effect on bricks because the salt crystals block the pores and trap moisture in the bricks which can expedite hydraulic frost action and spalling of the bricks. Most...

Absolute tosh!

Not exactly correct Woody. It won't cause internal damp so long as the cavity is not blocked or bridged but the DPC in the outer leaf is there to protect the building fabric. The outer leaf is at increased risk of spalling due to hydraulic frost action if the DPC in the outer leaf is bridged...

In all likelihood for a property built circa 1900 then it is probably cement. The problem is that the only way to prove this is by laboratory analysis. My labs do a check on the mortar constituents for around £85.00 However, if you don't have a test done then you are always best to err on the...

I don't agree that with shingle it should be OK. It won't be ok and effectively your neighbour has now bridged your DPC. You have 2 issues, 1. Inadequate wall base ventilation and, 2. Rainsplash saturation above DPC level. The potential problem will be far worse if you are in a solid walled...

Do Not apply render under any circumstances. It will ultimately fail and cause damp brickwork. Repoint the building! In any event pointing should be significantly cheaper per square meter.

No one has mentioned the most obvious point... External ground levels have been raised above their intended level. I'm guessing that the drain cover was the original level for external finished floors.

It is not radical, it is odd and put quite simply, it will not work. Why on earth would you want to 'equalise the air' into the subfloor void? Wherever humidity is generated, and remember that key moisture generation areas are the kitchen and bathroom, then those higher humidities come with...

This is a fairly common problem and the cracks were no doubt caused when the UPVc frames were installed as the head of brickwork was not adequately supported when the old windows were removed. It is likely that the old timber windows provided structural support for the brickwork above and it is...

Essentially you have a cold roof deck as opposed to a warm roof deck where the insulation is installed on top of the roof. The problem here is that if you maintain a 50mm air gap above the insulation then this needs to be ventilated to prevent interstitial condensation. I suspect this hash' been...

You don't need a licensed contractor for this work and you need to contextualise what it is that you are dealing with. This is a very low risk product and so long as the removal and disposal guidelines are followed then it is fairly straightforward. To my mind the quotes are not particularly...

An interesting point though in this country there is no requirement to do that. I have assessed and scored a number of multi million pound tenders and always found it sensible to calculate an average price and rule out any applicant that was say 10% cheaper than the average price. Often the...

I guarantee that you have will have ongoing problems with this balcony. It has been poorly specified and poorly finished. As previously pointed out, you should never use EPDM on a balcony walkway and if you do then it needs promenade tiles installing to stop wear and tear to the EPDM.

When you entered into an arrangement with your MRICS surveyor then you should have received a letter of appointment stating the scope of work and the T&C's. You actually seem quite vague on the arrangement, an estimate of costs is not an agreement for your surveyor to deal with that portion of...

I specialise in building defect analysis work, particularly damp investigation. My advice is simply to remove the cement plinth and be patient for 6 months to see if the problem improves. Cement plinths did become quite fashionable but it was always a bad idea and I've no doubt it was sold to...

You won't get an impartial opinion unless you pay for it and no one can tell you what has caused the damp by looking at pictures unfortunately but as much as I can tell you is that it looks to be caused by a leak or penetrating damp.