is damp a real major problem ?

[julioarca]

House due to be surveyed on Friday afternoon...I got one of those damp machines to test walls....I get no bleeps or lights anywhere but in the kitchen ajoining wall with the next door neighbours.

The wallpaper shows no signs of any staining or damp but my wife has said for a long time she could smell something in the kitchen if the door was shut.

Sooooo I know at least the wall in the kitchen will need some attention, will it be the full wall and would the kitchen units need removed that are on the same wall?

Would a suveyor then perhaps suggest the rest of the house needs done?

Wish the guy had been and gone and I had the report outcome thru the buyer.

 

[JohnD]

kitchens usually have water pipes, sinks and drains. Some of these may leak, especially if 50+ years old and can soak into floor and walls.


they also often have boiling pans and kettles so get condensation.

So it is probably significant that you find damp only in the kitchen.

 

[memor maplin]

Depends if the person coming has a bad cold or not if they smell anything.
Be prepared for rot and fruiting spores.

Good Luck

 

[julioarca]

cheers for the replies, as i say there are no spores etc, the wall just looks fine......anyway tomorrow looms

 

[JerryM]

kitchens are always prone to damp

the full wall would ideally need treating – I would recommend tanking as it’s a party wall. The surveyor will not move anything and may or may not miss the area you’ve identified.

Any smell (given the damp looks not too bad – wallpaper ok) is more likely to be from the floor. Often the area under the kitchen units is not tiled or treated.

Depends how interested you are – I would remove kitchen plinth and have a look/take a few readings on both wall & floor.

 

[julioarca]

thanks for the advice, surveyor didnt even check any walls, just looked in corners of rooms....