Concrete floor - damp problems. Advice needed.

[spider1 11]

Did he give his opinion before or after installing the fireplace?

 

How long have you owned this propety and who did the survey on it. Dont tell me you paid cash for it without a mortgage..// The builder only came to fix a fire place but any one with experience would know inside floor level must be higher than outside. What difference would it make when he gave his opinion

Edited January 27, 2014 by spider1

[carosio 186]

How long have you owned this propety and who did the survey on it. Dont tell me you paid cash for it without a mortgage..// The builder only came to fix a fire place but any one with experience would know inside floor level must be higher than outside. What difference would it make when he gave his opinion

 

Your question appears to be aimed both at the OP and myself.

 

If the builder had been aware of the damp before or at the beginning of installation, it would have been sensible to warn or advise on remedial work rather than after the fireplace was installed, assuming of course that the fireplace will have to be dismantled/removed to carry out any damp-proofing necessary.

[spider1 11]

Your question appears to be aimed both at the OP and myself.

 

If the builder had been aware of the damp before or at the beginning of installation, it would have been sensible to warn or advise on remedial work rather than after the fireplace was installed, assuming of course that the fireplace will have to be dismantled/removed to carry out any damp-proofing necessary.

 

Get in the real world. He came to do a job not lose money because he was good natured. Not his problem he did as he was told . The work he did was probably irelivant to his work .. He would have seen extensive plastering had been done which should not have been done should he have told him about that ./

Edited January 27, 2014 by spider1

[Debk 10]

We had a full structural survey before we purchased the house and appointed the builder as he came recommended. He has worked on old properties before and we trusted him to carry out most of the work. His team have been hard-working and knowledgeable to a point.

 

We discussed the plastering of the walls and after our research we decided on the breathable membrane system, but problems began to arise when he fitted the fireplace over the existing concrete floor without our knowledge when we were on holiday. It looked great, and we moved on to work in other rooms.

 

Only now - yes when the water table is rising - and the gallons of water used in plastering the whole house are drying out - is the damp floor problem showing.

[spider1 11]

Water is a leveler and will always rise to a point off least resistance. So if outside G.L. is higher the inside wiil keep rising This will show on concrete floors. On old propeties its imperative inside F.L. are higher than outside to give you any chance to keep it dry. Any survey should pick this up immeadiatly. Your first builder saw this as any builder who is any good should do. Your surveyor is at fault and you should have had a written report on this matter. / You can realy have no re dress against your builder he was only following instructions . Building the fire place would not cause damp on the floor.// Get back to the surveyors..

Edited January 28, 2014 by spider1

[carosio 186]

It seems that when you had the survey there was no indication of dampness in the floor perhaps due to the water table being lower at the time? I would have thought that the fact that it is thin in places and of unknown age and quality might have aroused suspicion with the surveyor.

 

The first property I had was full of damp. I broke up the old floor, covered it with appropriate plastic sheet (turned up at the wall junction) and dropped 3" of concrete on it. After it had dried the surface was as dry as talcum powder. Previous to this I did have a quote from a Sheffield firm who were going to damp-proof floor and walls with some kind of pitch/bitumen treatment, although this was back in 1990.

 

---------- Post added 28-01-2014 at 22:47 ----------

 

Water is a leveler and will always rise to a point off least resistance. So if outside G.L. is higher the inside wiil keep rising This will show on concrete floors. On old propeties its imperative inside F.L. are higher than outside to give you any chance to keep it dry. Any survey should pick this up immeadiatly. Your first builder saw this as any builder who is any good should do. Your surveyor is at fault and you should have had a written report on this matter. / You can realy have no re dress against your builder he was only following instructions . Building the fire place would not cause damp on the floor.// Get back to the surveyors..

 

I agree that the fireplace can hardly be the cause of dampness in this case, although, in general, a good tanking treatment can work.

[spider1 11]

It seems that when you had the survey there was no indication of dampness in the floor perhaps due to the water table being lower at the time? I would have thought that the fact that it is thin in places and of unknown age and quality might have aroused suspicion with the surveyor.

 

The first property I had was full of damp. I broke up the old floor, covered it with appropriate plastic sheet (turned up at the wall junction) and dropped 3" of concrete on it. After it had dried the surface was as dry as talcum powder. Previous to this I did have a quote from a Sheffield firm who were going to damp-proof floor and walls with some kind of pitch/bitumen treatment, although this was back in 1990.

 

---------- Post added 28-01-2014 at 22:47 ----------

 

 

I agree that the fireplace can hardly be the cause of dampness in this case, although, in general, a good tanking treatment can work.

 

Yes done correctly and new floors with visqueen membrane and insulation board on top. But who is going to pay when surveyor should have pointed this out prior to purchase.

[carosio 186]

I would imagine his written report has some kind of get out clause.