FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you’re confronted with dampness and timber problems for the first time, remember that many other home owners will probably have had to deal with them as well, so here’s how you can benefit from their experience – by browsing through the questions we are most frequently asked.

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, then go to our ‘Ask the Experts’ page and let us help you on a one-to-one basis.

Is a damp proof course ,as opposed to 'tanking', adequate to keep a basement flat dry?

No, a damp proof course is designed to prevent moisture from the ground rising up via capillary action into the walls of the building. It will not stop lateral water ingress. In a basement or cellar situation the problem is moisture under hydrostatic pressure from the surrounding ground and this can range from simple dampness to running water depending on the circumstances. The solution is to install either a cement based waterproof render to the walls and floor which will hold the water back or a cavity drainage membrane lining which is designed to channel any moisture coming through the wall into a drainage system around the base of the walls and under the floor and then move it safely away to the outside of the building, usually via a sump and pump arrangement.