Dampness on the walls.....

The Northern Baptist said:
£200 I paid for a mid-terrace. An extra £50 if you wanted the joists inspecting.

I got the impression they knew the issue before they even turned up, which was salt contaminated plaster which was drawing in moisture from the air and forming dark wet patches above the skirting board which looked like rising damp but wasn’t. I also had the local builder type round who was a so-called damp expert who said a damp proof course needed injecting when it didn’t, which is why I’d always recommend getting an independent expert in.
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There are plenty of company’s who do “damp surveys” . They are just basically quotes. The injecting of a damp proof course in bricks loads of us to get mortgages over the last 50 years has been a complete con , in most cases the only time that is necessary is if the house floor is lower than the ground level outside..
If you look at a brick canal say in Amsterdam the water one brick above the water may be damp.. So rising damp in bricks , bollocks.. Rant over ... No help to the OP tho sorry :)
 
Coatigan said:
Generally I've known them to be circa £400-500. Unless it is something more complex invasive or extensive, in which case they price on a time spent basis.
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Cheers,i guess that will be recovered though in knowing the precise diagnosis and the subsequent remedial work.
 
Coatigan said:
Get a specialist.

When you say air bricks, I assumed you meant a full perforated brick/block laid horizontally. Which you maybe don't have if it is a ground bearing concrerte floor.

What alb.davey is talking about above are weepvents, to ventilate the cavity. And let any water that gets in out. Horizontal slits acove the damp proof course/junctions. Often get sealed as part if a cavity fill.

Filling cavities has a whole range of issues, which appear down the years. Damp unlike leaks is an accumulated issue as well, and may be to do with the fill, or may be a built-up unrelated issue.

Best bet is to get a specialist to look at it. They will have dealt with similar issues in the area or types. They can sometimes stick to script, but should be a help. There are ones that deal with investigation only, rather than investigation and remedial, they should in theory be more impartial as they wouldn't then try push you to a service they'd offer.

It is not an easy thing to deal with, might get lucky and figure it out first time, might be a process of elimination. Even when you know, not always the easiest to fix, properly.
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No mate I'm talking about 9 x 3 or the 9 x 6 cavity vents on older properties these are sealed by the cavity wall installer, you're thinking of under floor vents for suspended timber or sometimes suspended concrete. a solid floor like he has wont have these. plastic weep holes tend to be on modern houses or timber framed properties. Cavity wall fitters won't seal these as they let out any moisture build up. Timber framed won't or definitely shouldn't be installed.
 
FantasyIreland said:
Cheers,i guess that will be recovered though in knowing the precise diagnosis and the subsequent remedial work.
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Yeah provided they get it right first time. Sometimes a process of elimination unfortunately
 
Chimney story, slightly irrelevant.
My builder was doing some work and I asked him to look at a damp patch in a bedroom which seemed to be the fault of the externally built chimney. This meant scaffolding needed. Ok, don't want any accidents.
Chimney duly inspected, a couple of loose slates fixed plus some pointing, but no explanation of the damp.
Baffled builder calls his bro who knows chimneys. Bro asks me if the chimney is still in use. Only as exhaust for gas fire. Hmm, he says, COWLING will fix that. He left, with a pitying smile to his bro. Problem which previous occupants had clearly had for years fixed in 30 mins, plus of course scaffolding bill.
 
The last house I bought in the UK was a split level job, higher back garden. Anyways it looked like the tanking system had failed at the rear as the downstairs room had a very damp wall. I got 3 quotes raging from 8500 to 10200 quid. (30 years ago) This involved taking down a large portion of the lounge wall to repair the tanking then rebuild and replaster that wall, big job., this was late 80s.

One day I went up a ladder to clear leaves from gutters and noticed a roof tile had broken in half just next to the gutter and when it pissed down, as it did a lot on Mottram Moor, water was pouring down the cavity into the tank system and effectively filling it with water.

Cost of repair, 1 roof tile, diagnosed by me.

Moral, be careful about who you believe.
 
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