Rising Damp is it real or just a marketing ploy by damp proofing companies ?

Just had a survey come back on a house we are thinking of buying. The RISC Surveyor sites the existence of rising damp and suggests getting it assessed by a BWPDA registered company for a quote on how much to carry out remedial work. The place did not seem damp, none of the walls were damp, couldn't smell damp, no sign of moisture anywhere. So I did a little research and found conflicting opinions on why it may be a myth

Rising Damp and The Rising Damp Myth

Rising damp does not exist - DIYnot.com - DIY and Home Improvement

http://http://www.architectsjournal....204095.article

http://http://www.heritage-house.org...buildings.html


We have instructed the Estate Agent to ask the vendor to get the proper investigations done and I will probably ask for another site visit with a builder friend to look again ourselves. What are your thoughts? Anyone here had similar issues ? The Mrs wants to pull out but I would like to make sure that the surveyor is not being over cautious.

Beenz for one you can buy an electronic damp meter for not alot of money.
Fact - rising damp is never above 1 metre high.
Old methods of injecting the brick work doesnt really work.
New methods are , a special gel u inject into the mortor joint ( every 75mm )at damp level ,
The gel uses the moisture in the morter to travel along the join , creating a very good damp seal.
Also knock of the plaster to 1 meter high , do the same thing with the gel on the inside course.
Then when you replaster using sand and cement with a waterproofer additive.
This should sort out the problem , and if you have a builder pal , doesnt have to cost the earth , if the house is right for you , dont be put off by a bit of damp.
Plaster moisture levels can be affected by not having heating on in the property for a few weeks.

Good Luck.

Thanks AL. The house is over 100 years old and so I don't think there is currently a DPC but the survey is also suggesting there MAY be dry or wet rot in the timber and joists running under the floorboards. To me that is all conjecture until the owner lifts a few carpets and lets at least the floorboards and if possible some joists be examined. I think the place being unoccupied for a while could have led to condensation and even things like foil backed paper on walls can lead to high moisture reading on damp meters so with no tide marks internally or externally I have my doubts. We shall see.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Greenbeanz

Thanks AL. The house is over 100 years old and so I don't think there is currently a DPC but the survey is also suggesting there MAY be dry or wet rot in the timber and joists running under the floorboards. To me that is all conjecture until the owner lifts a few carpets and lets at least the floorboards and if possible some joists be examined. I think the place being unoccupied for a while could have led to condensation and even things like foil backed paper on walls can lead to high moisture reading on damp meters so with no tide marks internally or externally I have my doubts. We shall see.

---

If you are unsure of the underfloor conditions then yes insist on floorboards to be lifted , there will probably be a trap in the floor anyway.
Main thing to check is the underfloor ventilation , timber needs a constant airflow to stop dry rot etc from taking hold.
As for its age it is possible it will have a SLATE DPC which was common pratice years ago.
As i said the new methods are very good indeed , but ventilation is a must , check it , and if it doesnt have enough put it forward as a retention condition.

Mate you know I'm a financial advisor don't you? I've been working with estate agents and surveyors for years! PM me what you are buying, rightmove link or something.

I'll give you some proper advice later, but the first thing that stood out to tell you to be careful with was the fact you are going to get the vendor and selling estate agent to do some investigations to confirm the problem. They will not be working in your interest, so put simply, cannot be trusted.

Rising damp does exist and can be a slight issue, but remedies can be cheap as long as you spread the work around properly. Damp specialists like Herritage charge an absolute fortune for things like plastering. Damp isn't always damp as such though. As in, it's caused by something simple like a loose flashing outside.

If the surveyor has flagged it, especially on a basic survey, then it's worth looking into properly. It's not everyday you spent £x amount of thousands of pounds.

This could potentially work in your favour too. Get a quote from an expensive, reputable firm to repair the problems, then renegotiate that cost off the price of the house.

After completion get the work done at a fraction of the price and your quids in.

I like older houses as they have more character, new build are better at keeping in the heat and saving on high bills.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Master

I like older houses as they have more character, new build are better at keeping in the heat and saving on high bills.

---

And at giving one parking space for every two houses!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 0james0

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Master

I like older houses as they have more character, new build are better at keeping in the heat and saving on high bills.

---

And at giving one parking space for every two houses!

---

That is true and a garage the car cannot fit in it with you trying to get out of it easily.