Published: 10 December
Introduction
Mrs F of Tunbridge Wells contacted Prokil as she was concerned about dampness on the interior walls. The property was built in 1895 and was originally part of a row of terrace houses but the house next door was damaged from bombs during the was and is no longer standing. The previous interior wall adjoining the other house became an external wall and was rendered.
Damp Survey Findings
Neil Harrold, our Damp and Timber Surveyor visited the property to commence the full investigation of the areas requested. Externally there were signs of poor and missing pointing at a low level to the rear wall. The BlackJack bitumen strip along the base was defective and there was no sub-floor ventilation along the right-hand flank wall.
Internally using different types of Protimeter, tests were carried out to all accessible internal walls to check for any abnormalities in the plaster. There was evidence of penetrating damp affecting this property with high moisture readings detected in the upstairs bedroom around the chimney breast area, in the downstairs stud party wall between the lounge and dining room and within the cupboard area.
Damp Survey Recommendations
Following the damp inspection, Neil submitted his report to Mrs F stating the damp was due to the external right-hand wall, which had originally been an internal wall with another terrace property that is no longer standing due to bombing from the war that had retrofit rendering.
Neil recommended the installation of a damp proof course (DPC) and a damp proof membrane, to fit sub-floor vents to the right-hand flank wall to allow for additional ventilation, to repair and repoint where necessary and to paint a new BlackJack bitumen strip.
The report included a detailed breakdown of the costs to install the recommended remedial works. Mrs F instructed Prokil to carry out all the works recommended in the survey and quote.
Photo Gallery
For more information about our 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.
