Damp Proofing Treatment in Harrogate

Peter Cox were called in to conduct a damp and timber survey for a domestic property in the heart of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Harrogate and the surrounding towns and villages in Yorkshire often suffer with damp problems due to the age and building materials used, and this property was no exception.

The stone built property made up of four floors had no evidence of a damp proof course and throughout the external survey the surveyor found defects including problems with the guttering, blocked soakaways and drainage. Green algae around the blocked drains indicated the drains had previously overflowed, allowing rainwater to penetrate into the stone blockwork.

The surveyor also noted a lack of air bricks, perishing mortar joints and spalling brickwork.

All of these external defects will contribute to a damp problem in a property if left over time and often these are solved by routine maintenance.

External defects such as blocked drains and guttering indicated moisture was unable to correctly flow away and could enter the property during periods of bad weather.

A trained and experienced surveyor is equipped with a range of tools and techniques to correctly identify a damp problem in a building. It is key to correctly identify the source of moisture to be able to provide a long term solution for the homeowner.

The surveyor spent time investigating areas of dampness around the property and came to the conclusion this was a rising dampness problem caused due to the lack of a damp proof course.

As moisture rises from the ground into a wall it contains soluble salts that are deposited in the wall fabric and plaster as the moisture evaporates. Over time this can cause plasterwork to blister and deteriorate from the wall.

This was evident in the property, with areas of plasterwork with excessively high moisture levels, generally in poor condition and breaking down due to this salt action.

A trained and experienced surveyor is equipped with a range of tools and techniques to correctly identify a damp problem in a building. It is key to correctly identify the source of moisture to be able to provide a long term solution for the homeowner.

The surveyor spent time investigating areas of dampness around the property and came to the conclusion this was a rising dampness problem caused due to the lack of a damp proof course.

As moisture rises from the ground into a wall it contains soluble salts that are deposited in the wall fabric and plaster as the moisture evaporates. Over time this can cause plasterwork to blister and deteriorate from the wall.

This was evident in the property, with areas of plasterwork with excessively high moisture levels, generally in poor condition and breaking down due to this salt action.

The client agreed to go ahead with the work and experienced technicians from the Peter Cox branch arrived at the property to conduct the work. To keep mess to a minimum for the client our technicians are equipped with dust extraction units, floor coverings and hoovers.

They began by hacking off the salt contaminated plasterwork in the property before installing a chemical damp proof course (DPC). This DPC is an effective barrier for moisture rising up a wall as it consists of a silicone-based cream that penetrates into the mortar/masonry, creating a water repellent barrier.

Due to the heavily salt contaminated walls a 3mm meshed membrane was fixed to the wall surfaces which would then allow the premises to be replastered.

Although the wall has a new damp proof course, any existing salts in the walls could migrate through the new plasterwork unless a barrier is installed. This can be achieved by membranes or salt retardant plaster.

Peter Cox offer a 20 year guarantee on damp proofing work, and have issued over 500,000 long term guarantees since we were founded in 1951.

These can be transferred to new property owners should you move house.

Local surveyor Cameron Bumby said “you come across properties with a rising damp problem often in Harrogate, especially due to the age of the housing stock. Stone buildings are built to last but moisture ingress can cause problems if left over time. The first step is to get a trained professional to correctly diagnose the problem, and then the treatment can be designed to protect the property long term.”