Hello there, first post here. I was hoping to get some advice regarding some apparent damp problems around the front and side or our new home.
We had a homebuyers survey which stated that damp meter readings indicated there were high levels of damp along the side of the house., particularly the front corner around the downstairs shower room. There was also signs of damp/blown plaster on the internal wall dividing the hallway and downstairs shower.
Our surveyor indicated that the ground levels around the property were too high - a paved driveway to the front of the house and a concrete path running down the side of the house, meaning the DPC was only 1 course of bricks high instead of 2. He recommended a french drain be constructed down the side.
Skeptical as I am of them - we decided to get a damp proofing company to do one of their free surveys anyway to see what they said - the company we called out had previously done some damp proofing work on the property in 1997 - they had injected a damp proof course in the front bay window and in the rear corner of the dining room (no longer an external wall due to newer conservatory).
Their findings were:
* Dampness around shower room likely to be due to a leak in the shower. Recommended rectifying the problem and a small amount of re-plastering where it had blown on the internal wall.
* High readings to rear corner of dining room due to "lack of effective damp proof course" - inject chemical DPC and internal re-plastering up to 1m. May have also been due to a leak in the conservatory which has since been rectified.
* Ground levels too high down front and side and likely contributing towards high damp readings under the stairs. Recommend ground levels are lowered and French drain installed.
OK, so far so good. The shower is badly done and the tiling/grout looks shot. Line of staining/blown plaster on internal wall is in line with tiled shower floor so it seems obvious the shower is knackered. We plan to rip this out and get it redone properly. I suspect this is also contributing towards dampness in exterior walls.
Despite saying the damp on the side of the house was due to high ground levels and recommending a french drain, they also recommended injecting a chemical DPC along the entire side of the house. WHY? Seems unnecessary to me. The house has a DPC, its just being compromised by the high ground level, surely? The ground levels at the rear corner are a bit high too but the ground is covered in shingle, not concrete so not sure that's the problem here.
The bottom 3 courses of bricks on the outside appear to have been coated with some kind of treatment - red in colour, presumably some attempt to waterproof it. Its chipping away in a few places and I counted 8 blown bricks around the perimeter of the house which need replacing. The house also only appears to have two air bricks - one in the front bay and one on the side. It may have had one on the rear at some point but has probably been covered by a rear extension or the conservatory.
So it seems clear we need to sort out the shower, maybe fit a couple of extra air bricks and replace the spalled bricks. I'm inclined to think the chemical DPC is not worth it (we were quoted £293 + VAT for the chemical DPC and £450 + VAT for about 1.5 sq/m or re-plastering!!!).
We've had some quotes for creating a french drain and they've been around the £700 mark which seems very high to me. Is that high? I don't really want to spend that much on a shingle filled trench and I'm wondering if its really necessary. Only one course between ground and the DPC is obviously not ideal but other than a few spalled bricks, and some small amounts of black mould along the bottom of the wall in the cupboard under the stairs, the walls seem dry enough to me inside and out (its a cavity wall). I see no signs of dampness in the kitchen.
What should I do? I should be able to manage replacing the spalled bricks myself and fitting an air brick. Would it be worth re-painting the bottom few courses in some kind of waterproofing agent? I appreciate this wouldn't be a permanent fix but it seems like it might do the job for a while.
Am I being too quick to dismiss the chemical DPC option? £293 + VAT is half the price of constructing the French drain. They didn't recommend any re-plastering internally down the side of the house due to difficulty of access - shower rooms, stairs, boiler/pipework and fitted kitchen all being in the way. It would at least solve the problem of high ground levels by moving the DPC up the wall. I can get somebody else to re-plaster in the corner of the dining room if its even necessary.
We had a homebuyers survey which stated that damp meter readings indicated there were high levels of damp along the side of the house., particularly the front corner around the downstairs shower room. There was also signs of damp/blown plaster on the internal wall dividing the hallway and downstairs shower.
Our surveyor indicated that the ground levels around the property were too high - a paved driveway to the front of the house and a concrete path running down the side of the house, meaning the DPC was only 1 course of bricks high instead of 2. He recommended a french drain be constructed down the side.
Skeptical as I am of them - we decided to get a damp proofing company to do one of their free surveys anyway to see what they said - the company we called out had previously done some damp proofing work on the property in 1997 - they had injected a damp proof course in the front bay window and in the rear corner of the dining room (no longer an external wall due to newer conservatory).
Their findings were:
* Dampness around shower room likely to be due to a leak in the shower. Recommended rectifying the problem and a small amount of re-plastering where it had blown on the internal wall.
* High readings to rear corner of dining room due to "lack of effective damp proof course" - inject chemical DPC and internal re-plastering up to 1m. May have also been due to a leak in the conservatory which has since been rectified.
* Ground levels too high down front and side and likely contributing towards high damp readings under the stairs. Recommend ground levels are lowered and French drain installed.
OK, so far so good. The shower is badly done and the tiling/grout looks shot. Line of staining/blown plaster on internal wall is in line with tiled shower floor so it seems obvious the shower is knackered. We plan to rip this out and get it redone properly. I suspect this is also contributing towards dampness in exterior walls.
Despite saying the damp on the side of the house was due to high ground levels and recommending a french drain, they also recommended injecting a chemical DPC along the entire side of the house. WHY? Seems unnecessary to me. The house has a DPC, its just being compromised by the high ground level, surely? The ground levels at the rear corner are a bit high too but the ground is covered in shingle, not concrete so not sure that's the problem here.
The bottom 3 courses of bricks on the outside appear to have been coated with some kind of treatment - red in colour, presumably some attempt to waterproof it. Its chipping away in a few places and I counted 8 blown bricks around the perimeter of the house which need replacing. The house also only appears to have two air bricks - one in the front bay and one on the side. It may have had one on the rear at some point but has probably been covered by a rear extension or the conservatory.
So it seems clear we need to sort out the shower, maybe fit a couple of extra air bricks and replace the spalled bricks. I'm inclined to think the chemical DPC is not worth it (we were quoted £293 + VAT for the chemical DPC and £450 + VAT for about 1.5 sq/m or re-plastering!!!).
We've had some quotes for creating a french drain and they've been around the £700 mark which seems very high to me. Is that high? I don't really want to spend that much on a shingle filled trench and I'm wondering if its really necessary. Only one course between ground and the DPC is obviously not ideal but other than a few spalled bricks, and some small amounts of black mould along the bottom of the wall in the cupboard under the stairs, the walls seem dry enough to me inside and out (its a cavity wall). I see no signs of dampness in the kitchen.
What should I do? I should be able to manage replacing the spalled bricks myself and fitting an air brick. Would it be worth re-painting the bottom few courses in some kind of waterproofing agent? I appreciate this wouldn't be a permanent fix but it seems like it might do the job for a while.
Am I being too quick to dismiss the chemical DPC option? £293 + VAT is half the price of constructing the French drain. They didn't recommend any re-plastering internally down the side of the house due to difficulty of access - shower rooms, stairs, boiler/pipework and fitted kitchen all being in the way. It would at least solve the problem of high ground levels by moving the DPC up the wall. I can get somebody else to re-plaster in the corner of the dining room if its even necessary.