Comppletely damp

[nicoleyb]

I saw a house today which I would love to put an offer on, but there are severe time constraints. There is an amazing amount of damp in the house. It is a mid terrace house but with the entry way between this and the next house. The house is vacant and is suffering from condensation in the kitchen - easily resolved. However the main room has been knocked through and every wall is damp. the wall which is on the side of the entryway is not as bad as the others and may be a combination of penetrating damp due to the higher than needed external ground level. the wall on the opposite side which is not external, is horrendously damp and the walls are wet to the touch. there are two chimney breasts on this wall and the chimneys need an air brick and new caps and pointing. however, the walls have previously been glossed and i believe rendered, but both the party wall and the external rear wall are soaked and the door frame to the kitchen is rotten, along with the skirting boards. the floors are solid with quarry tiles laid and seem fine with no salt deposits. the only internal wall in the knocked through lounge is the one encolsing the stairs which again feels a little damp but not to the same extent. What do all you guys think? As a commercial gas eng and spark, i can do alot of renovation, but this is beyond my ken

 

[dann09]

You could allow between £3000 and £5000 for "Damp" work.
A local builder who is competent in damp and timber work is your best bet.

But given the state of the building as you describe it, its typical for various other items to need attention, eg all the frames, any suspended floors, extractors, and external ground levels - not to mention utilities.

None of the above is a big deal, and maybe, none ( of para 2) require work.

Research these issues on here, and go house hunting with a prepared checklist - practice on properties that you are not interested in.