Sorting out house damp.

[Spiderman]

Regarding the damp and rot bit.....Wow, i'm surprised the mortgage company lent on this without first insisting that you get the damp survey and estimate. In all my years in property sales in london they insisted on this and would sometimes even retain some of the money till the work was done.
Its also a good negotiating tool for you as a buyer, if its gonna cost £3k for example, to get the work on then you could justifiably ask for £4-5k off the agreed price for the inconvenience etc you face whilst getting it done.

It's nowhere near as bad as it seems, the surveyor is just covering his ass. The walls are not even showing up damp, it is only readable with a meter. The rot is standard for a house of this age (1895) and the woodworm is easily treatable.

I couldn't be arsed to f about for a couple grand, as the chain was very close to falling apart.

I would add that this is MY homebuyers report, not the banks valuation report.

Regards
Phil

[Spiderman]

Originally Posted by phil24_7

I couldn't be arsed to f about for a couple grand, as the chain was very close to falling apart.

jeez how i wished half the buyers i dealt with were as sensible as you in this way Phil.
Kenwood http://www.kenwoodplc.co.uk/ were the first port of call for most agents to get a free report and quote from for damp and rot but were never the cheapest. A good start point tho.

[Luckypants]

Did you get any form of guarantee paper work relating to the chemical DPC your survey mentions? These things normally have an insurance backed warranty which is quite long, so maybe that work is covered? Check for that and if the DPC is breaking down then you should be covered.

Damp at the first floor level is unlikely to be rising damp though, because the downstairs walls would be soaked! Sounds like damp is either running down the walls from the roof or is penetrating the render. The roof is the easiest to check first. Make sure the gutters are sound and clear of obstructions, ensure all water that enters the gutters stays in then and does not leak down the wall. Then check that all water that drips off the roof ends up in the gutter and not dripping back onto the wall. Finally double check that the roof at the edges does not leak onto the top of the wall. If all that is good, then it is likely that the water is getting through the render. I have no knowledge of how to investigate / fix that though.

[dizzyblonde]

You bought your house like that?
I'd have run away!
Best of luck fixing her up. I'd be pessimistic rather than optimistic with damp. My gran had a little damp in the kitchen, and when they investigated they found a drippy pipe under the sink, that had gone un noticed for a while had sent things into rot orbit, she had the entire ground floor ripped up, and all the walls pulled down to bare brick as dry rot had gotten in, there were some real wacky shrooms growing under them floor boards!

I know my own house is a bit damp in the loft, but I know for certain the ridge tiles on the roof need fixing, and the house needs re-pointing. My house is as dry as a bone with no damp. Has all the cavity wall insulation etc but if the outside is left any longer it could cause a multitude of problems. So in Spring I'll be getting it fixed before it costs more money.

Originally Posted by Spiderman

jeez how i wished half the buyers i dealt with were as sensible as you in this way Phil.
Kenwood http://www.kenwoodplc.co.uk/ were the first port of call for most agents to get a free report and quote from for damp and rot but were never the cheapest. A good start point tho.

I'm a realist and fully expected things like this in an old house, it's the beauty of the beast. I also can't be arsed to play "cat and mouse" or "call my bluff" (risking loosing the house) for the sake of a few grand, which nis tiny compared to the amount I paid for the place! Abbeys surveyor seemed happy for them to lend me the money too, so it can't be that bad.

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Did you get any form of guarantee paper work relating to the chemical DPC your survey mentions? These things normally have an insurance backed warranty which is quite long, so maybe that work is covered? Check for that and if the DPC is breaking down then you should be covered.

Damp at the first floor level is unlikely to be rising damp though, because the downstairs walls would be soaked! Sounds like damp is either running down the walls from the roof or is penetrating the render. The roof is the easiest to check first. Make sure the gutters are sound and clear of obstructions, ensure all water that enters the gutters stays in then and does not leak down the wall. Then check that all water that drips off the roof ends up in the gutter and not dripping back onto the wall. Finally double check that the roof at the edges does not leak onto the top of the wall. If all that is good, then it is likely that the water is getting through the render. I have no knowledge of how to investigate / fix that though.

No guarantee with the DPC as it was done before the previous owners lived there, and they never had any paperwork at all (They and their solicitors were pretty useless in all respects!).

I know the render is poor in a few places (good in the rest though), and theres a few cracks around windows/facias etc. There is also a leaky bit of guttering (all mentioned in the survey). There may be a possibility that some is coming in where the roof meets the wall, by the old chimney (this has been removed but is visable from the loft) and I will investigate when I get time.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

You bought your house like that?
I'd have run away!
Best of luck fixing her up. I'd be pessimistic rather than optimistic with damp. My gran had a little damp in the kitchen, and when they investigated they found a drippy pipe under the sink, that had gone un noticed for a while had sent things into rot orbit, she had the entire ground floor ripped up, and all the walls pulled down to bare brick as dry rot had gotten in, there were some real wacky shrooms growing under them floor boards!

I know my own house is a bit damp in the loft, but I know for certain the ridge tiles on the roof need fixing, and the house needs re-pointing. My house is as dry as a bone with no damp. Has all the cavity wall insulation etc but if the outside is left any longer it could cause a multitude of problems. So in Spring I'll be getting it fixed before it costs more money.

Yup, The surveyors and my solicitor saw no problem with it, and I agree with them. It's an old house so will have little quirks like this. I also don't think it's as bad as all that as there are no visible signs of damp (apart from in the cellar), and I intend on getting it fixed before it causes me major problems.

You could always do what my student slumlord did, which was to paint over the mold every year. I was in the downstairs front room for my first year in the house and the walls gradually turned greeny-black, everything felt just a bit moist. Moved upstairs for the second year and he had his dodgy belching builders in to paint over it all. Hot half-Polish girl with exposed midriff (*drools*) moved in there, and the walls began slowly changing colour, all her clothes and stuff were all ever so slightly damp (yes yes, gusset included) but slumlord didn't care.

I think I'll sort it if it's all the same to you!

[skeetly]

Originally Posted by phil24_7

The report from my surveyor states:

Dampness, rot & infestation:

Repair Category 3

Damp meter testing revealed some signs of dampness to the main walls, mostly at ground floor level, but with one or two instances in the first floor accommodation.

If it's an old house then it damp meters are pretty useless.
1895 you say? The walls will either be solid stone or brick or have a pretty rudimentary cavity.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Despite the presence of a chemical injection damp proof course,

Injected damp prooofing works great on material it can soak into. Waste of time on things like stone walls IMO.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Woodworm holes were noted to a number of structural timbers, etc. in the property. It is not known whether this is active or has been treated in the past. Further advice should be sought from the specialist damp proofing and timber treatment contractor.

Its a delicate creature the woodworm. Easy fix for yourself to do just remmber not to treat yourself while you're at it

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Some ground floor joist ends appear damp affected where built into the rear elevational wall. This should also be checked by the specialist contractor.

More important I would say. If they are damp and stay damp they will just keep deteriorating. Hard to tell what to do without physically seeing the place.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Chimney stacks:

Repair category 3

Damp staining is present on the chimney flues in the roof space. Externally the chimney stack render appears old, porous and in need of attention. At the same time, the flashings should also be checked and improved if found necessary.

Chimneys on old houses were built with the assumption in mind that they would have a fire in them almost constantly; certainly whenever the weather was bad enough to cause them to get damp. You can never stop them being a bit damp on old houses.
Modern chimneys we build with llead sheets in them so that the damp only gets so far down.

Big problem can be the capping on the top.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Roof including roof space:

Repair category 3

The roof has been re-slated at some time in the comparatively recent past. The slating generally appears satisfactory but dampness is penetrating through the front and rear cement hips. These require rep[air.

Ridges and hips generally dont let much damp in even if they are missing. (At the top of the rood see; wet's mostly running away from them)
But obviously *some* gets in and you cant leave them.
Check the corner fittings on the gutters and make sure they aren't blocked.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

A small hole was noted in the underlay beneath the slating. This should be patched and care taken not to cause any further punctures.

If you're depending on the underlay for damp proofing you've got problems

Originally Posted by phil24_7

Rainwater fittings:

Repair category 3

Generally rainwater fittings appear satisfactory but leaking was noted from the gutter outlet point on the side elevation and this will need repair...

Important to fix gutters. Lots of water over time.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

sections of 2 floor joists in the cellar have been replaced in the past.

Due to them being underground; cellars are expensive to get dry. You basically have to 'tank' them. Basically make a bucket out of them that the damp cant get into. It requires attention to detail when it's being done because missing out a tiny little bit will have the damp pouring in.
It also has the effect of ensuring that the cellar walls get saturated behind the tanking. Previously they did dry out a little bit by leaking into your cellar space
This sometimes cause problems higher up the walls than previously.

Originally Posted by phil24_7

I think this is all the relevant information!

Regards

1895 you say?
It's an old house; it will have damp bits

BTW. Dont take any of the above as any kind of substitute for talking to a 'local' builder. Older houses in any given area tend to have peculiarites of construction and materials.
If your house falls down, blows away etc its not my fault.

Ask around lots to find a builder who comes reccomended. Even if you have to wait. 12 month long diaries are still very common believe it or not.

Originally Posted by TheOnlyNemesis

don't know anyone, soz but got the same problem, atm we are just wiping it off all the time as the flat has no radiators in the bed rooms so we don't know how to stop it atm.

If it's mould growing on the walls then washing it off will only worsen the problem. The mould feeds on moisture so where you wet the surface it will just spread to that area more easily than if you'd have left it. Maybe get a dehumidifier in or those dehydrating crystal things if it's only a small room.

Originally Posted by metalangel

You could always do what my student slumlord did, which was to paint over the mold every year.

Exactly what my student landlord did too, eejit she was bless her soul. The poor fella who had the room with the problem ended up stinking of mould wherever he went, yummy. We had to tell him in the end, he wasn't even noticing, he spent so much time in there he'd gotten used to it