Published: 17 June 2021
Introduction
Mr O, landlord of Mount Ephraim residential flats and commercial units in Tunbridge Wells, contacted his local Prokil office in Tunbridge Wells as his tenants had reported issues in the communal hallway of potential damp and also some issues in the commercial basement underneath Dominos.
Damp Survey Findings
Neil Harrold, our Damp and Timber Surveyor visited the property to commence the full investigation of the areas requested. Internally using different types of Protimeter, tests were carried out to all accessible internal walls of the communal hallway to check for any abnormalities in the plaster. Neil found evidence of penetrating damp affecting the property caused by water ingress made possible by missing pointing on the external concrete wall.
In the basement Neil also noted signs of excess rot and decay and advised to add support by way of additional treated timber to the floor above.
Following the damp and timber inspection Neil submitted his report to Mr O, complete with recommendations on stopping the water ingress from the external wall and also the most suitable damp proofing system to restrict future damp penetration. The report included a detailed breakdown of the costs to install the dampproof membrane as requested.
Getting to Work
Step 1
External: Removing any loose material then plugging and repairing the pointing in the external wall.
Internal: Taking off all the skirting boards and preparation of walls by removing the affected plaster to 1 meter high in the communal entrance hallway ready for the waterproof membrane installation.
Step 2
A damp and waterproof membrane was then attached to the affected internal walls followed by plasterboard.
Step 3
Finally the internally treated areas were finished with a multi-finish plaster and existing skirting boards reinstated leaving the area ready to be decorated. All rubbish was removed.
The Finished Result
Once the waterproof membrane installation and plastering was complete, all the rubbish was taken away and the communal entrance hall was left clean and tidy and ready for Mr O’s tenants to use.
For more information about our rising damp or penetrating damp solutions across the South of England and Wales, get in touch with our friendly team today. Call us on 0800 048 9488 or book a survey.
