Rising damp (ffs)

Status
Not open for further replies.

The binman chronicles said:
These are good points. Obviously if the board is rotten it indicates a more serious case of damp or the above has been going on for years.

But opening up the house, hiring a dehumidifier + replacing bad skirting board may have been enough to let it pass.
Click to expand...

I live in a fairly modern apt
I got a dehumidifier for 50 Euro in Aldi.
The amount of water it takes out the air in a couple of hours is crazy.
The reading normally starts at 75/80 and after 2 or 3 hours it’s doen to 50 or so
They say 40/45 is optimum.
We’ve no window in the bathroom and that’s a major factor plus the missus will sometimes dry clothes on a rack
 
I've been buying and selling houses full time for the last 17 years and in my experience plenty of good advice already but to sum up, there is no such thing as rising damp, most surveyors don't know there a@se from their elbow, they just fill forms in, they use a "damp" meter on walls that's for reading moisture content in wood thats not accurate anyway, water does not climb up walls! modern plaster will retain moisture from the air if there is not enough heat and ventilation, i've had loads of very "damp" walls and when you knock all plaster off the brickwork behind is bone dry, without seeing photos the easiest way would be to knock off plaster and either render/plaster or plasterboard/plaster, DON'T pay someone to inject the walls, the whole damp industry is a big con.
 

Now that @tommye is no longer hereto wage war on my insolence I feel it safe to say that it will cost what a consultant brain surgeon would be worth for a week long operation, paying for their decade of study and skills, then triple it and that'll warrent a labourer's half hearted attention for a day or so. If they turn up when promised.

That's what it seemed to me when I moaned and got utterly bollocked for it. :cool:
 
Quite honestly, I have no confidence in surveyors. They turn up, do a quick look around and if they miss anything they are protected by a mound of small print that stops any recourse.

The last three major purchases I made (2 houses and a boat) I didn't bother with the expense of a surveyor. What I mean is, you have eyes too. Look yourself, if you disagree (it's just a way of getting a paid professional to pursuade you to reduce the price) just say no and await another buyer. You do not have to sell for 50k less. The next buyer might not have paid their surveyor as much!

This is all true unless your house is a swamp, in which case you ought to really fix it.

With sawdust.
 

chrismpw said:
Quite honestly, I have no confidence in surveyors. They turn up, do a quick look around and if they miss anything they are protected by a mound of small print that stops any recourse.

The last three major purchases I made (2 houses and a boat) I didn't bother with the expense of a surveyor. What I mean is, you have eyes too. Look yourself, if you disagree (it's just a way of getting a paid professional to pursuade you to reduce the price) just say no and await another buyer. You do not have to sell for 50k less. The next buyer might not have paid their surveyor as much!

This is all true unless your house is a swamp, in which case you ought to really fix it.

With sawdust.
Click to expand...

Totally agree, a surveyor is a very easy job along with a building inspector for the council, i'm sure there are some people that are very good at these jobs but I've yet to meet one.
 
Bulldog said:
I've been buying and selling houses full time for the last 17 years and in my experience plenty of good advice already but to sum up, there is no such thing as rising damp, most surveyors don't know there a@se from their elbow, they just fill forms in, they use a "damp" meter on walls that's for reading moisture content in wood thats not accurate anyway, water does not climb up walls! modern plaster will retain moisture from the air if there is not enough heat and ventilation, i've had loads of very "damp" walls and when you knock all plaster off the brickwork behind is bone dry, without seeing photos the easiest way would be to knock off plaster and either render/plaster or plasterboard/plaster, DON'T pay someone to inject the walls, the whole damp industry is a big con.
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer.

Add to that, if the plaster has gone on the wall, with the wrong mix, it can come back to bite you years later and give the impression of damp etc.

We had mould on a wall, which would`ve given a reading of damp.

It turned out that the sofa was too close to the wall and condensation was forming as a result.

Remedied by moving the couch further away from the wall and wiping the wall down.
 
My mom had similar 'issues'. It was actually condensation. I removed the wall paper (which was starting to come away) and the wall dried out rapidly. No tide marks or anything. Bunged in a new vent and redecorated, all good.

@peteblue is right, have a good look around at other explanations first.
 
Sarnia Kevin said:
I had this about 10 years ago on the party wall (semi-detached house). I got a specialist damp-proofing and wall tie company in to do it. They removed the plaster on the whole wall up to about 3 foot from the floor, put in damproofing by injection, and replastered. Took 2 days and cost £600.
Click to expand...
#

Yeh, I used to do this job.Messy as the plaster is very dusty and then replastering afterwards will need papering/painting.
The silicone damp course injection forms a barrier across the bricks and mortar joints to stop the damp rising.

Having said that, it can sometimes be different causes so worth a thorough investigation, especially as it in a corner and 2 different walls.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.

Welcome

Join Grand Old Team to get involved in the Everton discussion. Signing up is quick, easy, and completely free.

Register

Shop

Back
Top