Contradiction between verbal and written reports Rising Damp

Joined
21 Apr 2011
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Location
Lancashire
Country
United Kingdom
hi recently purchased a mid terrace house, the property needs a fair amount of restoration which i plan on doing by myself and few friends where possible.

The mortgage company have kept 10k retention even though i purchased it 10k below their valuation pre work complete and 20k below when work is completed.

one of the recommendation was to get a "Specialist Contractor" to inspect all timbers and check for damp. the property shows no visible signs of damp and the RICS surveyor could not also see any damp but as he is not a specialist he has recommended i bring in a DP specialist

i had an damp proof specialist/building surveyor come round to inspect the property.

The only place the meter was reading damp was the front room wall where the next doors chimney is, i was told it was common place to find damp but nothing serious.

i asked if there was any rising damp and was told that as i have concrete floor " You cannot get rising damp". the plaster on the wall is a bit loose in places but that is because the wrong type was used.

i recently received the report which with estimates for costs for plaster off, DPC for rising damp AND re-plaster wall.

Before i phone the company i would like to know if it is possible to have rising damp if you have solid concrete floor?

sorry for the long post any advice would be appreciated
 
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You can still have rising damp regardless of what floor you have. In some case the concrete floor can be damp itself if the DPM has failed. In any case you haven't mentioned how old the house is and it's type of construction. If the house is old it may have the original DPC which although is ok now it may not be sufficient in the future. If your restoring the property it maybe worth getting a Liquid DPC injected just to keep the mortgage company happy aswell as protecting your property.
 
At that period terrace houses in this area of Lancashire rarely if ever had DPCs in the walls when new, so unless it's had a DPC "installed" at a later date (e.g. chemical, etc) there is always the possibility of rising damp. The surveyor should have stated that straight up. The footings are also likely to be less substantial and shallower than modern houses, too. And as for the concrete floor, I've seen enough were the original flag floor was just ragged out and concrete poured in sans DPM to be wary of them as well.

As to the plaster being of the wrong type, just what doe he mean? Pre-WWII plastering was pretty much all lime plaster in the terrace houses I've worked on so blowing, loose sections, etc come with the territory - and are often a sign of damp in the wall.
 
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if you get an assessment by a damp 'specialist' who rely on you commissioning them as a means to exist then don't be surprised when they inform you you need X work done for £xxx.
 

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