Damp & Decay Trouble Shooting Surveyors North West

For a quote & practical advice Call: 0800 246 56 68, or request a quote here: REQUEST QUOTE DAMP & DECAY TROUBLE SHOOTING NORTH WEST, DAMP & TIMBER SURVEYS FOR HOMEOWNERS. (No paper work issued) Damp and Timber Survey North West of England, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.

Adept UK Damp & Decay-Independent trouble shooting North West damp specialists damp-proofing & timber treatment surveyors. We provide independent damp and timber inspections / investigations together with chemical free, cost effective environmentally friendly solutions for controlling rising damp and timber decay, avoiding unnecessary, costly & disruptive chemical damp-proofing & timber treatments offered by most remedial damp-proofing & damp specialist timber treatment companies.

CASE HISTORIES

‘Free damp survey’ surveyor states slate damp-course has failed–Chester, February 2018.
The seller of this 1930s semi-detached house in Chester had a free damp survey carried Property Care Association member damp-proofing firm based in Nantwich, Cheshire who stated that ‘rising damp was present due to the failure of the original slate damp-proof course ‘and then recommended a full damp-proof course and waterproof plastering to all external for around £5,000. Slate damp course rarely fail and provide that they are not bridged by high external ground levels can still be effective in controlling rising damp
We carried out a damp survey and found that most areas highlighted on the free damp survey were free from damp and no damp-proofing was required. There was some minor damp on the front wall which was due to the garden being slightly raised above the damp course leading to low-level water ingress and ‘rising damp’ internally. This was easily alleviated by reducing ground levels so that they were 150mm below the damp course. The cost of this was negligible as it was carried out by our client and just involved a bit of digging instead of wasting £5,000 and on pointless chemical damp-proofing works and waterproof plastering.

‘Free damp survey’ surveyor diagnoses rising damp in stone cottage– Prestwich, Manchester, M25 3HJ, December 2019.
A homebuyers surveyors report recommended a damp survey and a Property Care Association member damp-proofing firm in Manchester carried out a free damp survey and recommended a full damp-proof course and waterproof plastering throughout the ground floor at cost of over £9,000. The property is an old stone built cottage and chemical damp-proofing in stone walls is rarely effective as most of the damp-proofing fluid runs away within the rubble infill and most contractors rely on the waterproof render to stop any dampness.

We carried out a damp survey on this property in Prestwich and found that most of the property was free from damp and the only areas affected by damp were the front and rear elevation walls and this dampness was due to low level moisture ingress where water was ponding on concrete at the base of the walls. This was easily rectified by installing drainage channels at the front and rear of the house at a cost of less than £700,00 and no chemical damp-proofing works or waterproof plastering works were required.

Bridged damp-proof course causes ‘rising damp’–Church Lane, Marple, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK6 7AY, October 2021.
A mortgage survey on this 1930s semi-detached house in Stockport diagnosed rising damp and a free survey was carried out by a Warrington based damp-proofing and timber treatment contractor who then recommended the installation of a chemical damp-proof course together with the removal/replacement of plaster with a waterproof render to all external walls-total cost £4,500.00. We found that this work was not required as there was a perfectly good bitumen damp-proof course visible in all the external walls which was still effective in controlling ring dampness from the ground. Dampness had been caused by concrete paving at the base of front and rear walls partially bridging the damp-proof course leading to water ingress into the brickwork and ‘rising damp’ internally. No damp-proofing works were required and all that was need was a drainage channel at the base of the front and rear walls which cost around £400.00.

Free damp survey misdiagnoses ‘rising damp’– Rochdale Road East, Heywood, Greater Manchester, 0L10 1QU, September 2020.
Our client had just bought this house and the mortgage survey said there may be damp so the estate agent had a free damp survey undertaken by a Bury based damp-proofing company who said that rising damp was present and recommended damp-proofing and plastering for around £3,000. The house-owner wasn’t happy with this as she couldn’t see or smell any damp and also the damp-proofing work would have also involved ripping out all the kitchen units so she asked us to carry out a damp survey. We inspected the house from the outside first and noted that ground levels had been raised at the rear of the house when paving slabs had been laid in the garden. Internally the only sign of damp was where the damp-course had been bridged by the paving which had cause low-level moisture ingress and rising damp. All that was needed to prevent further damp was the excavation of a drainage channel at the base of the wall to allow rainwater to run-off before it could be absorbed into the brickwork and no damp-proofing works were required.

Diagnosing damp & timber decay problems in North West – what signs to look for

The first step in fixing dampness is to find the main source. There are many different types of dampness – here are the signs you should be looking out for.

RISING DAMP

Rising damp is caused by a non-existent or faulty damp proof course and describes the action of groundwater moving up through a wall through capillary action. Due to the nature of rising damp, only your ground floor will be affected by this type of damp. Signs of rising damp include:

A noticeable tidemark on an interior wall up to 1.5m
Peeling or flaking skirting boards
Blistering plaster or paint
White powder on walls (salts)

PENERTRATING DAMPNESS

Penetrating damp, otherwise referred to as water ingress, means that water is making its way into your home from the outside. This can occur in a number of ways, either via a burst pipe, leaky roof, or damaged masonry. Common signs of penetrating damp include:

Localised damp smell & damp patches on walls and ceilings
Damp that becomes more visible when it rains
Moss or algae growth on external wall
Damaged brickwork
Damaged guttering and down pipes

CONDENSATION

Condensation is caused by poor ventilation and is the most common type of damp to affect UK homes. Condensation mostly occurring during the winter when the difference between external and internal temperatures is most dramatic. Signs of condensation problem include:

Fogging on windows
Black mould growth on windowsills, walls or even furniture
Smell of damp & mildew in your house
Blistering paint
Peeling wallpaper

TIMBER ROT

It is important to catch timber rot before it has time to develop. Dry rot in particular spreads very easily throughout a property and weakens rafters and floorboards over time, to the point that they will eventually become unsafe. Dry rot and wet rot affect your timbers in different ways:

DRY ROT

Damp, fungal mushroom smell
Affected timber feels brittle and warped
Deep cracks in the wood – often in a ‘cube’ formation
Evidence of mycelium growth on timbers (white fluffy coating)
Large fruiting bodies

WET ROT

Affected timber feels wet and spongy
Affected timber will appear darker
Easy to crumble
Damp, musty odour
Look out for black fungus growth

Contact our independent timber and damp experts in North West today!

If you have already identified your damp problem, great! Our damp experts can offer an affordable and effective damp treatment. If you need further help with identifying the cause of damp in your home, then we can carry out a professional damp survey to provide the answers you need to get started on repairs.

Our Trouble Shooting North West-damp & timber decay specialist survey is most beneficial for:

Homeowners who have identified a small isolated area of dampness they are unsure about and need to obtain an independent damp report & advice from damp-proof course & dry rot specialists.
Homeowners who have had conflicting damp and timber reports from different specialist damp-proofing and timber treatment companies.
Clients who maybe think they are just being SOLD A PRODUCT from damp specialists which they do not need and are not addressing the root cause of the rising damp problem.
For those who simply don’t know what to believe or who to turn to and require independent damp & woodworm survey and advice from one of our specialist damp proofing and timber decay surveyors.
For those clients who have had a problem “treated” two or three times by damp specialists only to find it has returned, as the problem was misdiagnosed in the first instance.

Trouble Shooting North West C.S.R.T. independent damp & timber decay specialists

Our specialist damp and timber surveyors are accredited Certificated Surveyors in Remedial Treatments (C.S.R.T ) by the Property Care Association (P.C.A) (who are NOT salesmen) will go through the damp and timber survey with you, correctly diagnose, advise and guide you through the problem and explain the course of action to correctly remedy any damp & timber decay issues.

The trouble shooter in some cases can be a more detailed investigation that uses ‘invasive’ techniques to establish the extent of dampness and decay. For example, when surveying for timber decay and beetle infestation our damp specialists may have to lift carpets and floorboards, take off skirting boards and in some cases, use a speedy calcium carbide meter to determine rising damp and the total moisture content in damp masonry.

If you notice tide marks on your walls, peeling paint, wet patches or damaged skirting boards, you may have a rising damp problem, which most commonly affects older properties. Rising damp occurs when porous materials, such as mortar, bricks and stone, soak up moisture, and the dangers include timber decay, wet rot, various health conditions and more. Whether it’s due to the damp-proof course in your walls being ineffective, poor ventilation or a drainage problem, it’s crucial to resolve the issue promptly for the sake of your comfort, finances and home’s condition.

Trouble Shooting North West Survey is kept verbal, with no written paperwork, therefore keeping damp-proof inspection costs and damp timber & dry rot surveys to a minimum. If you think this Trouble Shooter survey is what you require, or you would like independent advice about any rising dampness / timber decay issues, then contact Our senior specialist independent damp-proofing and timber treatment surveyor direct on 0800 246 56 68 or please fill in our contact form

Independent damp & timber reports reports cost you anything from £200 – £350 plus depending on the size of property. This will get you a report from CSRT independent damp & woodworm surveyors who have no bias IE. there is no interest in finding any work that needs doing. This is the pick of the bunch. Mortgage Lenders love these reports and if you’re hoping for sound professional advice then this is the one to go for.

Trouble Shooting North West independent damp & timber surveyors

Adept UK Damp & Decay-Covering the North West of England, Merseyside, The Wirral, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria. including Accrington, Bolton, Burnley, Bury, Bamber Bridge, Blackburn, Blackpool, Blackrod, Chester, Cumbria, Cleveleys, Chorley, Clitheroe, Darwen, Liverpool, Merseyside, Wirral, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Fleetwood, Garstang, Lancaster, Leyland, Lytham St Annes, Morcambe, Nelson, Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston, Ramsbottom, Rawtenstall, Rochdale, Southport, Standish and Wirral. to name but a few places!

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