Damp

[james84]

Can anyone recommend a damp and timber surveyor or firm?

[EPB]

Can't help with a recommendation, I'm afraid, but would advise you to avoid anyone who offers 'free' surveys or consultations. They're invariably salesmen touting for custom.

Are you sure you really have damp, or could it be condensation?

Are your gutters, down pipes and drains in full working order?

Are the ground levels outside too high?

Are any of your airbricks blocked?

If you have cement render/pebbledash/stone cladding, are there any cracks that could let in and then trap water?

Any of these are potential causes of damp.

[mssmorris]

We just used South Eastern Damp Proofing last month who we were thrilled with and I would recommend them happily.

[Jeremy]

I can recommend London Property Preservation ltd - http://londondampsolutions.co.uk/

Recently used them to quote for remedial work for a house we're buying, and they've been excellent. The survey wasn't free, but it wasn't too expensive either.

[hendricks]

I recently had an on-going damp issue looked at by David Duggan (07943 804 075) who was recommended on the forum.

David is brilliant; a genuinely nice chap who really knows his stuff. He came round a couple of times, gave me some really sound advice on how to solve the problem and did not charge me for his time. As I was already having some plastering work down in the house, he just suggested my plasterer did the proposed work rather than engage one of his tradesmen. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[KrackersMaracas]

Hi hendricks

Does David have a website? We have a damp/condensation issue and it would be great to get the view of someone who has been recommended on the forum and is recognised as knowing his stuff.

Thanks!

[hendricks]

I don't think so. David is an independent specialist who works for himself but contracts tried and tested trades people to resolve the appropriate issues. I found a recommendation on the Forum for him and gave him a call. As I mentioned in my previous posting, he was brilliant. Really knew his stuff and didn't try to fob me off with an expensive or unnecessary solution I did not need.

As the other forum member said in his original post about David, he tries to identify the cause first and then find a suitable solution rather than just sell you a chemical treatment which won't necessarily resolve the root cause. This is what the previous owners of my house had done and the problem had not gone away.

[citylover]

I found an independent specialist from a recc on this forum, Keith Gardener, It was 100 or so quid and it was really worth every penny. He is such a nice guy and he certainly knows about damp, he can talk for as long as you want about it! It was like having the Sherlock Holmes of the damp world going round my house, he worked out the source of every single damp spot and advised me the best way to resolve them. Most of them were resolvable with a bit of basic house maintenance/handyman- moving a padstone that didn't jut out enough so the rain water was going directly down the wall- that sort of thing. He was even able to advise me on environmentally-friendly options. I really recommend you pay for one of these independents because they save you a lot of money in the long run.

I'm 99.9% sure Keith was at independentspecialistsurveys.co.uk

[KrackersMaracas]

Thanks Hendricks, thanks citylover! This is exactly what I was looking for - have read a lot about chemical treatments and I am not 100% convinced its the right thing for the house having read into it online. I'm looking for an independent company or specialist which/who isn't affiliated with the PCA! It's our first house and I know just enough to know that there is a problem.I seem to spend a large amount of time worrying that someone will spin me a yarn and I won't be savvy enough to realise- so it's important to me to find someone that other forum members reccomend and trust!!

[Shanikus]

I totally agree with avoiding cream and chemical treatments for damp. I have seen them fail time and again. I used our p[lasterer to do a load of remedial damp work in our place, chipping plaster back to brick and then applying a waterproof sand and cement formula, then skimming - no issues at all. He explained the same thing to me, look for ways water can enter the property, where it can back up, condensation rather than damp etc. Saved us pennies - he did work for ?2000 which we were quoted ?5k by a PCA registered firm - as our guy is a plasterer by trade, the finish is like a billiard table - not so in other dampproof companies I have used in the past.

[Greenbeanie]

I agree with all the above about chemical treatments having had a 'damp problem' for two years (wrongly treated with chemical treatment) I finally took matters into my own hands and removed some boxing in of a pipe in our flat - everything pointed to a problem from there but none of the 'experts' could be bothered to check it out.....what do you know - a leaking soil pipe which had been slowly trickling away for years! 9 times out of 10 there are other reasons for damp and a dehumidifier and a bit of ventilation can work wonders along with a bit of investigation work - high ground levels, pipes, leaking gutters, adjoining properties etc as mentioned above. Going to someone like Keith Gardener would have saved me a world of frustration a long time ago!

[klove]

After reading this thread, we got David Duggan (07943 804 075) to look at a couple of potential damp issues. He was excellent; give knowledgable opinions on the roots of the problems (this is after three other damp/builders gave their opinions, none of which were correct) and offered sensible solutions. Highly recommended.