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Damp - Buying A House - Help!

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Hello...

 

Hope someone can help!

 

We've just had a structural survey completed and we know the property has (probably rising) damp, visible in the dining room, and confirmed on the report.

 

What do we do next?  

 

Having just paid out for the structural survey, should we now arrange a separate a Damp Surveyor company to investigate the cause, and solutions, or is that going to be another company?

 

Thanks!

 

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Yes. Get a damp specialist round.

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You best be absolutely dead set on the place if you know it's got damp issues.

 

Must be plenty of other houses on the market without that issue.

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2 minutes ago, geared said:

You best be absolutely dead set on the place if you know it's got damp issues.

 

Must be plenty of other houses on the market without that issue.

Sadly not in our price range or if it is, we keep being outbid by the other buyers!  We don't have £10-15k spare to put on top of a 'guide' price.

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You need to get a damp specialist in to see how bad it is and how much it will cost to repair, once you have this information then you negotiate with the vendor to knock the price down so if it’s going to cost say £5k to put right then I would ask for £7k off the price. If vendors don’t agree then walk away.

House prices are stupid at the moment. I have just sold a mixed use commercial property and I’m holding onto the money as. Personally think prices will correct themselves similar to what happened after the recession of 2007/8.

Too many people panic and think must buy or I will lose out…

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Unfortunately with house prices and sales the way they are at the moment, asking for money off isn't likely to get you very far.

 

Can imagine alot of sellers would just tell you to take a hike if you asked for thousands off.

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Walk away, it will be a forever inherent problem. Sounds to me like a money pit, just saying.

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2 hours ago, sedith said:

Walk away, it will be a forever inherent problem. Sounds to me like a money pit, just saying.

Thanks Sedith.. point taken into consideration 🙂

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Damp proofing specialists have a vested interest in selling you their solution (e.g. injection).  They can be hard sell.  There may be specific causes and solutions such as external ground level having been raised above the DPC, lack of membrane under old solid floors, chimneys capped off without putting in ventilation, leaky drains etc.  Get a reputable builder to have a look; it may save you money.

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Actually membranes under solid floors can add to damp problems in walls of older houses, sort of forces it into the walls,  although the floor would still have to allow moisture to evaporate so the covering would have to be pervious to water vapour. My old father in law said it from his experience years ago, been proven right now by the "experts".

Its been well proven and documented that damp doesn't "rise" in walls due to capillary action or at least only very very slightly, soaking the lower bricks in silicon can even add to the problem if the bricks are absorbing moisture by preventing it draining away. When I bought my house 30 years ago the surveyor said it had rising damp, the previous treatment had failed and we would have to have the silicone stuff treatment again (needed for mortgage) so we used a company called dow tekron, I asked their guys why it needed doing again, he said it had been done by cowboys, theirs was professional and guaranteed for 30 years, after moving in and going through paper work I found it had been done less than 10 years before by....  dow tekron, its just one big con. Ironically one place I have what would be classed as rising damp any where else is the aluminium patio door, you get  about 6 inches of condensation at the bottom when temperatures are in the right zone. it's due to the air temperature being lower down there (stratification) falling bellow the dewpoint, warmer higher above the due point.

It's usually some other cause, often condensation made worst by use of calcium silicate based plaster or using pva on the bricks which doesn't allow the wall to breath vapour away, although I don't know how a lime plaster can breath if its painted over with  a modern plastic paint. The only breathable paint I have found is external mat. Personally I have plaster boarded leaving a gap to the bricks to allow ventilation, make sure any timber supports (vertical) are protected from dampness of the wall or else will rot and breed fungi.

Ideally you would have a vapour proof cell preventing moisture inside getting to cold parts and condensing but its practically impossible, even changes in atmospheric pressure push it in, look at double glazing when it's blown, where is all that moisture coming from? the tiniest hole exposed only to the atmosphere.

Its basically a mismatch of modern materials and techniques on old houses that had lime plaster open fires and loads of ventilation, there isn't any one magic answer to fit all, each situation has to be worked out and understood.

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

Be very weary of any body that is hoping to make money out of you by their recommendations, it will be what they want not what is best for the building. Builders have the advantage it takes years for their work to cause a problem by then you have no recourse.

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Don't call L-A-B-S Damp proofing & Basement Conversion.

Had huge problems with them when doing a property, they take way too much work on and then cause you more problems.

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18 hours ago, Arthur Ritus said:

Actually membranes under solid floors can add to damp problems in walls of older houses, sort of forces it into the walls,  although the floor would still have to allow moisture to evaporate so the covering would have to be pervious to water vapour. My old father in law said it from his experience years ago, been proven right now by the "experts".

Its been well proven and documented that damp doesn't "rise" in walls due to capillary action or at least only very very slightly, soaking the lower bricks in silicon can even add to the problem if the bricks are absorbing moisture by preventing it draining away. When I bought my house 30 years ago the surveyor said it had rising damp, the previous treatment had failed and we would have to have the silicone stuff treatment again (needed for mortgage) so we used a company called dow tekron, I asked their guys why it needed doing again, he said it had been done by cowboys, theirs was professional and guaranteed for 30 years, after moving in and going through paper work I found it had been done less than 10 years before by....  dow tekron, its just one big con. Ironically one place I have what would be classed as rising damp any where else is the aluminium patio door, you get  about 6 inches of condensation at the bottom when temperatures are in the right zone. it's due to the air temperature being lower down there (stratification) falling bellow the dewpoint, warmer higher above the due point.

It's usually some other cause, often condensation made worst by use of calcium silicate based plaster or using pva on the bricks which doesn't allow the wall to breath vapour away, although I don't know how a lime plaster can breath if its painted over with  a modern plastic paint. The only breathable paint I have found is external mat. Personally I have plaster boarded leaving a gap to the bricks to allow ventilation, make sure any timber supports (vertical) are protected from dampness of the wall or else will rot and breed fungi.

Ideally you would have a vapour proof cell preventing moisture inside getting to cold parts and condensing but its practically impossible, even changes in atmospheric pressure push it in, look at double glazing when it's blown, where is all that moisture coming from? the tiniest hole exposed only to the atmosphere.

Its basically a mismatch of modern materials and techniques on old houses that had lime plaster open fires and loads of ventilation, there isn't any one magic answer to fit all, each situation has to be worked out and understood.

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

Be very weary of any body that is hoping to make money out of you by their recommendations, it will be what they want not what is best for the building. Builders have the advantage it takes years for their work to cause a problem by then you have no recourse.

Years ago they used to inject the bricks but now they actuallyinject  the motar between the bricks. The property I sold I had one wall that had a damp issue and I injected the motar with the cream stuff you get in a silicon gun tube about 9 years ago and to this day the damp never returned. I agree that ventilation is also very important factor

On 09/03/2022 at 08:59, geared said:

Unfortunately with house prices and sales the way they are at the moment, asking for money off isn't likely to get you very far.

 

Can imagine alot of sellers would just tell you to take a hike if you asked for thousands off.

House at bottom of my road the buyers offer of £142k was accepted but his mortgage valuation guy said it was only worth £132k as it had no central heating and electrics needed upgrading. He negotiated with the seller and managed to get it for £135k so sometimes it is worth a try but I do agree due to shortage of houses on the market houses are getting snapped up for silly money.

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