Rising Damp

[Anonymous]

I am wanting to buy a " End Of Terrace" Victorian house in Stockwell, but it has rising damp on the wall that is shared with house next door - my surveyor says this is shown by the salts half way up the wall and moisturer reading which are high up to a metre and then stop. My friend says people on this forum say that rising damp is not a problem so there is no point to worry. I really want to buy this house, but I am sure there is problem as the paint is "flaking off" and some of the floor by the wall is rotten. There is also a smell like old shoes. Do you think I should buy this house?

 

[Anonymous]

No replies.....? I am not a damp expert but here is my penny worth - is this your first PP? do you have a renovation budget in mind? Are you in love with this property? Whatever this damp problem is - and looking forward to other problems that may arise with the property - you will need a renovation budget. If you have no budget and you can not do the work yourself then maybe consider walking away. If you have a renovation budget/would like to estimate a renovation budget then look to the seeking specialist page of this site and get someone to advise you on appropriate treatment either for just the damp, or for the whole house(recommended!). Search this forum for previous advice on damp - get to "know" the experts who are contributing and call one of them to come and look. I guess that this will not be free! Take care with some of the experts that contribute - some are arrogant and I would not let them near my property - you will see for yourself who these people are by reading the threads . Arm yourself with as much information as possible. Read up as much as you can. Get someone to come and look. Get an idea of what you are letting yourself in for. Use this facility! You may be pleasantly surprised at the costs involved - good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think anyone on this forum would deny that damp is a problem. But it needn't be one which necessarily puts you off buying a house. The big question is: have you got enough money to sort it out? You don't want to be stuck in a house with problems like damp and rot without the resources to deal with them.
What is the construction of the the damp wall? Is it timberframe or brickwork or stonework? Is the rotten floor timber? (I presume so). The smell sounds a bit of a concern - can you describe in detail what the rot looks like? If you can post some good, clear pictures, so much the better.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm a bit concerned about "on the wall that is shared with house next door". It's one thing dealing with a problem in one's own house, but persuading next door to get involved in the work and/or cost could be tricky. Has anyone approached the neighbours to see how the land lies (or how the damp rises)?

 

[Anonymous]

Anne, dampnes can usually be prevented (or controlled) without resorting to dpc injections as long as you can deal with both sides of the wall. The problem here is knowing what is going on next door. Are the floor levels different? do they have a leak next door that is hidden behind wall panelling? Have they blocked off underlfoor ventilation? Are they growing tomatoes against the wall, Is the neighbour a complete nutter? etc.?

You can see the problem. They might not have any visible dampness next door so whan you approach them and ask them to hack off all the nasty cement render in the living room or improve their underlfoor ventilation they might not necessarily be all that co-operative.

So, I think you need to have a fall-back plan that involves a remedial measure to enable you to make your side liveable without having to negotiate with next door. My advice is to dry line the wall with a thermal dry lining board. These are relatively cheap, fairly easy to fix (especially if there is nothing against the wall), will keep out any damp, will cut doen your fuel bill and will stop condensation dead.

 

[Anonymous]

Thankyou all for your replies. I have decided not to buy the house. They did not want to let me lift up floorboards and I am scared the rot has spread. It is too much money to take the risk.

 

[Anonymous]

- and when, a little way down the line, you come upon your dream house you'll be so glad you weren't allowed to lift the floorboards.