Where to get independent damp advice?

[AndrewR]

Hi, I have a detached house in Hampshire circa 1870 though extended circa 1970. Since moving in it has become apparent that there is a lot of damp. Any item of furniture (eg bookcase) up against an extenal wall turns the wall behind it black and slimy within a month (though internal walls don't suffer this way). The particular problem is that the kitchen units suffer from horrible damp inside them as they are up against the kitchen wall, and I don't want to install a new kitchen and have the problem recur. I know there are a number of possible causes of the damp problem, eg damp course, cracked render, and would like to get someone to come and give me some independent advice on the right remedial work to carry out (if any). If anyone has a recommendation on where to find such advice, or if there is a specific fix for avoiding damp recurring behind kitchen units I'd be very grateful.

Andrew

 

[Lime]

Picking up your mention of cracked render suggests you already know a major cause of your damp.
Also the problem of damp behind large cupboards on external walls is a common one in old houses.
It is usually a mixture of a cold damp wall often with the extra problem of condensation on the cold wall too.
The cupboard prevents any damp in the wall from evaporating within the house so keeping the surface damp.
However black mould normally indicates a condensation problem.

 

[MdB]

SPAB may be a good route on finding an expert. Go for somebody independent that you have to pay for them to visit. Do not go for somebody that comes for free but works for the damp proofing company. You will be told you have rising damp, have an injected damp proof fitted and then still have the problem a couple of years later (after you have redecorated).

 

[MdB]

and what happened to the Damp FAQ? It was rather long but it did have some useful stuff in it.

 

[Cloudscape]

The pinned 'Damp' and 'HIPS' threads seem to have been unpinned.

 

[Ian Bond]

... moved to Top Topics, a new forum section on the main board index.

You also need to log in to view the Top Topics.

http://periodproperty.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

[Moo]

You also need to log in to view the Top Topics.

I wonder why.

 

[Simon Wright]

My mistake, sorry. I omitted to set up the permissions correctly on the 'Hot Topics' forum so that Guests could read the forum. I've rectified that now.

 

[DaveBrigg]

I hope the 'Top Tips' thread makes it to the Top Topics section. :lol:

 

[AndrewR]

Thanks for the advice - I'll try the SPAB website