New damp course and associated costs...

A question about : New damp course and associated costs...

Hello everyone, thanks for reading.

I just wanted to get an opinion on a quote I received yesterday.

A bit of background.... So I have a 3 bed end of terrace house (not overly large but a good size). I've had noticeable damp for about 18 months and have been trying to locate the problem myself as it’s purely around the entrance points in my house (front and back doors). So I've done the usual things of checking the guttering and drains and no success. The damp discolours the walls (so the white pain is multi shaded) and I have a tiny bit of black mould. Mostly there is the furry residue from the salts.

I had a formal (paid Ј150 inclusive) survey from Timberwise (Manchester area) and they have not found the source but think it has something to do with the current damp course failing in some way (rising damp). I bought the house in 2011 with a full structural survey and no damp found. I have no paper work for the existing damp course and think it’s really unlikely I will get any 4 years on....

Timberwise have recommended an entire new damp course. The plaster is being recommended to be removed 1 metre above the floor as well. Costs split below:

Damp proof course Ј751 + VAT
Plastering costs Ј1207 + VAT
Joinery (skirting) Ј327 + VAT
Plumbing Ј188 + VAT (assuming this is just removing and reattaching radiators).
Optional 10 year insurance Ј106 + IPT (the work does come with a 20 year guarantee)

This is my first quote so I will be getting some alternatives.... I should stress my priority is a decent job not the cheapest price.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Best answers:

• Worse than asking a company who sell damp proofing to diagnose a problem is paying a company who sell damp proofing to diagnose a problem.
  You have isolated patches of damp and their solution is to replace the whole DPC, including unaffected walls?
  If you pay someone to produce a report, they have to be impartial, otherwise it's money for old rope.
  Such a crooked business.
• Have you given a thought to it being condensation?
• Moneyman, a s a newbie, your post could be construed as being a little bit spammy, however!
  I have just watched the video on the front page of https://www.heritage-house.org and it is fabulous. An absolute case in point and pertinant to the OP.
  The guy is a hero. I despise damp proofing companies.
• In fact, we're going to call the guy
• Hi everyone and thanks for your feedback. I will look into this much further before I part with one penny more and keep you updated on my progress just in case its relevant to anyone (I'm based in Manchester if this helps).
  Doozergirl - I appreciate your point but I'm not some eedijit that just randomly picked someone to survey my house. I did research the company and checked relevant qualifications and accrediting bodies etc. I did check with 2 other large companies in my local area and they all did the same with regards to surveys. Thanks for making me feel like a total eedijit!
  I came on here to get yet another opinion as damp issues are really not my area!
• Oh dear.....just been to the Heritage House website by Peter Cox.
  What a great, professional guy. He has potentially saved me thousands.
  Just sat ticking off the things he comments on in timber and damp surveys - I've got a fair few of those things in my so called 'report'. I'm obviously very annoyed at being conned but MASSIVELY relieved I've found out after only parting with Ј150 inclusive. I paid by credit card, I wonder if I can attempt to claim this back.....
  I also watched the video where he went around the house and showed the blocked air vents. I have air vent bricks outside that have been in filled. I think first thing tomorrow I shall be unplugging them!!
  It all seems so obvious now (the obvious damp is in the coldest parts of my downstairs) and I think condensation may be a significant issue. Well I'm certainly going to try that out first, get the dehumidifer cranked up again and see what happens!
  I can not thank you all enough for taking the time to comment and point me in the right direction.
• Hmm,
  I'm not wary of a new member who promotes a company and their website on every post they've made OR resurrects a post from 2012
  SPAM.
  In the interests of ying and yang take a look at this
  https://buildingpreservation.com/imag.../pdf/jhrev.pdf
  This was published in response to Jeff Howells book, but is quite relevant to this thread.
  Incidentally I'm not sticking up for timberwise here, if they've mis quoted works then they deserve all they get.
• Ooops!! Apologies for the misquote.
• So I had another guy come round and quote tonight (he is a plasterer by trade who also specialises in damp proofing - hmmmm). Anyway, I needed 3 walls skimming so I thought I might as well get another quote/opinion on the damp issue.
  The guy seemed plausible, he used a moisture meter that had 2 prongs on and only found damp where it is blantantly obvious due to the mould and 'shaded' areas. These are relatively small areas so he has quoted Ј510 to remove plaster, install a membrane and then reboard and replaster. I'm still very new in the world of damp proofing so just wanted to get a few opinions on membranes?
  Also I do have some damp in my cloak room. They guy has suggested leaving it as I have a gas meter on the inside. He has advised this will cost (in comparison) a huge amount to move (Ј000's). Again, I have nothing to base this one. The damp isn't a significant issue in here....at the moment.
  Obviously I much prefer this guys price, but the whole situation is beginning to leave my head spinning and my aim is to fix the problem. I really hate the fact no one can actually find the source....
• Nothing wrong with membranes when used in the right context Taylor.
  The problem is no one can diagnose this type of problem accuratley on a forum.
  However!!! you mention mould, it is very rare for mould to grow on a wall affected by rising damp, unless there is an impervious covering between the two.
  Rising damp is effectively salt water, mould is a plant and consequently won't grow on salt water. That over simplifies it but hopefully you get the idea
  Sorry to add to your confusion!
  DD
• Thankyou Dampdaveski, that has really helped me sort it in my mind. Obvious really when you think about it....d'oh!
  When I say mould though, I'm talking about a ting patch with maybe 5 little spores and this is right next to the offending wall (Think L shape). The wall with the mould got tested tonight and showed no damp whatsoever and mould hasn't altered/grown for a long while (I have had a dehumidifier in that small room for the last 6 months though.....
  Am I being unreasonable expecting a reason for the damp? Especially when the damp seems so specific (2 seperate walls).... what steps would anyone recommend for going forward? I really would like to know what the cause is so I can do everything to stop it as I'm looking to get a beautiful parquet flooring done in the affected room so I don't want to risk harming that.
• Are these people looking for the source of the dampness? Ultimately, we want what is causing it to stop, not to treat the symptoms of it.
  If you watch that 15 minute video on the website that was linked to, it might give you an idea of where some very typical problems might be.
  They should be looking outside for reasons.
• 2nd guy did spend a fair amount of time outside but still no real reason, this one rambled on about the mystery of rising damp.... Very concerned by the suggestion to just leave damp in a wall. Like you say, finding the origin is the only way to guarantee success.
  This is a 1950s house so not really old, the drains are all clear, I've opened up the air bricks (admittedly only very recently) All the guttering is cleared at least once a year. There is also a small stone shingle around the entire house so there is no bridging.
  As my issue is only very minor. I'm tempted to leave it a few months and then check again and see if anything I have done has affected it. Also maybe unrelated.....I think I have found my leak in the CH. 4 radiators have very blue valves curtsey of the copper corrosion... 2 of these radiators are in the damp areas which are also cold areas of my house. It is very noticeable to walk into these rooms and feel a chill. The other 2 radiators - one is in the bathroom so well ventilated and the other is in the living room so again well ventilated and generally the warmest room.
  Just a guess at this stage (struggle to believe a small leak could cause, through condensation, a wall to go damp but it could have been over several years....) so apologies for the ramblings....
• you need to fix the reason for the damp.
  do not do anything that prevents the wall to breathe.
  remove any concrete, check your ground levels, and rainwater goods. and then dont do anything else until its had time to dry out.
  go to www.periodproperty.co.uk forums for good advice.
  you dont need any "damp specialist"
• Abbey independent Surveys, while not cheap are truly independent. I used them after my surveyor and builder diagnosed rising damp.
  Not moisture meters in sight - took core samples from the walls and tested their moisture content - in addition to a number of other tests.
  Result was no rising damp at front of the house. The 'rising damp' diagosed by the builder was in fact water damage from an upstairs leak.
  They were also able to provide recomendation on the fixing/restatments which did include a membrane to allow me to immediately redecorate rather than waiting for the wall to dry naturally.
• When I get a client with problems like this, I link to this;-
  https://independentdampsurveyors.co.uk/
  and suggest they pay someone to find the problem, not pay someone to treat the symptoms.
• Hi, I'm new on here and found this topic very interesting. I'm in the process of buying a small 1 bedroom bungalow and have been given an astronomical quote for doing the damp course nearly Ј5000!!! needless to say I'm getting more quotes and letting them know I can do some stuff myself to keep costs down. As in it doesn't cost nearly Ј900 just to take off skirtings and radiators!!! eeeekk
  After watching the video clip as mentioned above It's blindingly obvious what needs to be done but was not even mentioned in my Damp survey which was more of a quotation hmmm. So pleased I looked on this forum
• I'm glad it helped, wigglysquiggly.
  The spammy guy has obviously been deleted now. I did try to contact the owner of the website, but they're clearly too busy to bother with an answerphone or even to answer their emails. I'm not even that far from them, so slightly bemused at who the spammy one might have been, if it wasn't the owner.
  I have a buildings surveyor coming out to my property tomorrow for some advice on the one wall that is baffling me. That wall has no less than three! damp proof courses at different levels!