rising damp specialists Post Reply

[papillonmaman]

There seems to be damp along one wall on our period house. We would like to get someone in to make a diagnosis and then to deal with the problem - damp proof membrane fixing.

Could anyone recommend a good reliable damp company?

Many thanks

[babyballetclapham]

Hi,

We recently had problems with our victorian house and used Peter Cox - http://www.petercox.com/damp-proofing.php. They scored highly with the Which website which is why we went with them. The guy was great and only recommended work that was really needed. Good luck!

Clare
Clapham@babyballet.co.uk
www.babyballet.co.uk

[tooting_mummy]

No recommendation but a bit of advice.
We thought we had some damp on an internal wall and asked two companies to diagnose and quote. Both said that it was probably rising damp and quoted about £750 for the work. I did a bit of research and discovered that rising damp is notoriously fabricated problem wuth rogue tradesman and that some people believe there is even no such thing (I forget the details but spend half an hour on google).
In short, our decorator removed the (waterproof) wallpaper that had bubbled and become discoloured, to reveal perfect plaster and a diagnosis of condensation.
We were so close to commissioning one of the aforementioned companies, especially when they offered us a last minute cancellation at a reduced price.
#oldesttrickinthebook!!

I'm not saying you don't have it, just advising you to do sone homework

[NYE31]

Try Kenwood or Rentokil, both will do a free survey.

We used rentokil last year & they were good.

[papillonmaman]

Hi,

We recently had problems with our victorian house and used Peter Cox - http://www.petercox.com/damp-proofing.php. They scored highly with the Which website which is why we went with them. The guy was great and only recommended work that was really needed. Good luck!

Clare
Clapham@babyballet.co.uk
http://www.babyballet.co.uk

Thank you so much for the recommendation, Clare.
They were indeed very good - speedy booking, the surveyor was on time, very helpful and only recommended what was necessary, and not expensive damp proof courses just for the sake of it as we got from a couple of other companies.
Would happily recommend them too.

[babyballetclapham]

That's great, I'm glad they worked out for you

[MrsOctober]

Quite often 'damp' is caused by the surface level outside sitting above the original damp proof course. This is really really common in properties in these parts where new patios have been laid on top of old patios.
In my first flat we had some damp on the side return wall. We had lots of surveys, all came back with extortionate quotes for injecting the wall etc. It was behind a run of kitchen cabinets so was never enough of a problem to justify the cost.
In our current house we had the same problem in the same side return wall (before we did our side return extension) Kenwood came around and quoted thousands to inject the wall etc. Luckily, before we appointed them and parted with our cash, we were told by a building inspector that all we needed to do was cut a small channel around the edge of the patio, creating a little gap (a couple of inches wide) between patio slabs and the wall, and fill it with gravel/pea shingle. This allows the rain to soak down through the gravel and below the DPC, where before it had sat on top of the patio level and penetrated the wall (above the DPC) It took a man with an angle-grinder about 2hours to sort it. Cost almost nothing. Neighbours have since paid Kenwood thousands to sort out their damp, when it was caused by 3 sets of patio slabs being laid on top of each other. Glaringly obvious when you know what you're looking for. Now, when I hear the name Kenwood mentioned I always have to tell my story. It's a wonder they haven't been busted on one of those rogue trader programmes.

[FLH03]

We have used a couple of times in the past, for various problems, (damp and wood issues) Damp and Timberguard right on the bridge over the railway by Wandsworth Common station. I have never felt that we've been taken down unnecessary paths by them, and they (Christiaan) doggedly solved a problem of leaking water/damp in a new side return that our builders had washed their hands of.
I've had people look over family homes in the past and there is a dodgy crowd in this business - as other posters have said, sometimes it is easy to solve yourself, and other times it is just a matter of old buildings will have some damp. Get a few people to look at it and quote. Good luck.

[anmol77]

We would like to get someone in to make a diagnosis and then to deal with the problem - damp proof membrane fixing.
Could anyone recommend a good reliable damp company??????

[SM30]

Hello

We had damp issues at our place and called a few companies. First was the Damp and Timberguard http://www.dampandtimberguard.com/
They are usually very busy but they still managed to visit and provided a detailed report. The guys were very good and explained what the real issue was.
I had booked Kenwood as well but read that they are usually super expensive so cancelled them. Finally got works done from Damp Proofing London http://www.dampproofinglondon.co.uk/
They were competitive in pricing and looked knowledgeable. Works were completed in time without any issues. Hope this helps. All the best.

[anmol77]

We would like to get someone in to make a diagnosis and then to deal with the problem - damp proof membrane fixing.
Could anyone recommend a good reliable damp company??????



crave4leather.com

[scorr]

Hi all, 

Do any of you know (for those who went with Peter Cox) if they provided a free survey and if not, what the cost was? Im in need of a survey for a property I am in the process of buying before exchange of any paperwork I would like to have the survey done as recommended in the home buyers report. 

Thanks!