Hi
we are in the process of purchasing a property and some issues have come up in the survey(RICS homebuyers report). The house is a 3 bed semi about 70 years old, walls believed solid which have been rendered and the render painted. The survey was done by the building society appointed surveyor.
The "Dampness, rot and infestatation" section states
Dampness is effecting wall at low level in the entrance porch I suspect this is due to bridging of the DPC
Penetrating dampness is affecting chimney stach in the loft space which I suspect is due to defective flashings above. Concealed timbers may be effective and should be fully investigated
You now need to instruct a damp proofing/timber treatment contractor to carry out an investigation to identify the full extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required, together with an estimate of the cost.
The combination of high external ground levels and render finish bridges the DPC which could cause dampness problems. Sub floor ventilation is inadequate and additional airbricks should be provided and existing airbricks should be iunblocked. You now need to instruct a contractor to open up the flooring to identify the full extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required.
Should we be worried about this?? I spoke to the surveyor on the phone before getting the written report through and he made it sound less serious. He basically said we would need to get a narrow channel dug around the outside of the walls to lower the ground level and install additional airbricks, and get some roof tiles/flashing tidied up.
However, the written report seems to be a bit over the top to me. He actually said on the phone when he tested the walls they were quite dry. It appears there is some localised damp in the porch (the porch is a recent add on in 1997).
If there are no real signs of damp other than a little bit in the porch, don't we just need to get the channel/dry area put in and the airbricks soonish after we move in. If so, does anyone know very roughly how much we are looking at? I am purely guessing at 2k ish but maybe I am wrong.
The outside perimeter of the house is roughly 25 meters I would guess (excluding the party wall)
Getting people to take up the floor and investigate roof timbers seems like an arse-covering exercise to me in his written report. In our informal conversation on the phone he just suggested getting the channel/airbricks put in, getting the roof tidied up and trying to get a few grand knocked off the price from the vendor to reflect the cost of this.
Any thoughts on cost of the work and the actual risk of damp in the subfloor/walls welcome...sorry to ramble am really a DIY newbie!
we are in the process of purchasing a property and some issues have come up in the survey(RICS homebuyers report). The house is a 3 bed semi about 70 years old, walls believed solid which have been rendered and the render painted. The survey was done by the building society appointed surveyor.
The "Dampness, rot and infestatation" section states
Dampness is effecting wall at low level in the entrance porch I suspect this is due to bridging of the DPC
Penetrating dampness is affecting chimney stach in the loft space which I suspect is due to defective flashings above. Concealed timbers may be effective and should be fully investigated
You now need to instruct a damp proofing/timber treatment contractor to carry out an investigation to identify the full extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required, together with an estimate of the cost.
The combination of high external ground levels and render finish bridges the DPC which could cause dampness problems. Sub floor ventilation is inadequate and additional airbricks should be provided and existing airbricks should be iunblocked. You now need to instruct a contractor to open up the flooring to identify the full extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required.
Should we be worried about this?? I spoke to the surveyor on the phone before getting the written report through and he made it sound less serious. He basically said we would need to get a narrow channel dug around the outside of the walls to lower the ground level and install additional airbricks, and get some roof tiles/flashing tidied up.
However, the written report seems to be a bit over the top to me. He actually said on the phone when he tested the walls they were quite dry. It appears there is some localised damp in the porch (the porch is a recent add on in 1997).
If there are no real signs of damp other than a little bit in the porch, don't we just need to get the channel/dry area put in and the airbricks soonish after we move in. If so, does anyone know very roughly how much we are looking at? I am purely guessing at 2k ish but maybe I am wrong.
The outside perimeter of the house is roughly 25 meters I would guess (excluding the party wall)
Getting people to take up the floor and investigate roof timbers seems like an arse-covering exercise to me in his written report. In our informal conversation on the phone he just suggested getting the channel/airbricks put in, getting the roof tidied up and trying to get a few grand knocked off the price from the vendor to reflect the cost of this.
Any thoughts on cost of the work and the actual risk of damp in the subfloor/walls welcome...sorry to ramble am really a DIY newbie!
), they can only surmise if there is an actual problem, based on their knowledge and experience. To some extent it's subjective and some are more timid than others when it comes to assessment of the problem.