Damp house

Buying a 100 year old house we know has damp. Its end of terrace and external wall shows rising damp along its entire length.It has no DPC. surveyors report showed rising damp and possible water ingress from external cracks. In the front room of the house there is a high tide mark just below ceiling level esp after heavy rain. this wall is attched to garage with a flat roof but have been told by roof man that its not the problem and guttering is apparently fine.I really want to get some independent objective advice, Damp proof companies have a product to sell. Does any one know where i should go from here? surveyors will only tell you theres a problem not how to solve it? would like someone who has experience with old houses.

The rising damp diagnosis is very common but seldom the actual cause of damp in buildings. The principle causes of dampness are water entering the building due to a failure in the roof covering, faulty guttering, damaged brickwork, pointing or render allowing water penetration. You need to correctly identify the source of the water ingress, prior to undertaking any work.

I have personally surveyed over 500 properties throughout the UK which have been diagnosed as suffering from rising damp, and I have found in every case that the diagnosis was wrong. So what is going on here? How come surveyors are finding rising damp where it doesn't exist?

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An engineer would maybe be your best bet for a proper diagnosis - but expensive. Another option might be an experienced, well regarded builder.

backfromoz is the property double glazed?

The "high tide mark" is unlikely to be rising damp. Usually rising damp problems manifest themselves in the first three or four feet (unless this house is partially underground).

Sounds like a problem with the flashing where the flat roof attaches to the side of the house. Get a second opinion, preferably when it's raining.

By the way, a standard surveyor's report, of the type requested by the mortgage provider, is of little use, as the surveyor tends to cover himself by quoting all possible causes of any visible problems (as well as any invisible problems that might exist but the surveyor can't see because the process of uncovering it might be too invasive - watch for phrases such as "work covered up" in the report.)

Duplex said:

The rising damp diagnosis is very common but seldom the actual cause of damp in buildings. The principle causes of dampness are water entering the building due to a failure in the roof covering, faulty guttering, damaged brickwork, pointing or render allowing water penetration. You need to correctly identify the source of the water ingress, prior to undertaking any work.



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Who would be the best person to identify the sourse of water ingress?

get a damp meter in b&q and take readings. it will be higher the nearer you are to the source

backfromoz said:

Who would be the best person to identify the sourse of water ingress?

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A chartered building surveyor or a structural engineer. Ring around a few describe the problem, explain you don't want a full structural survey(assuming you don't) and ask them how much an opinion on the cause of the dampness would cost.