Damp Specialist

Damp houses are a huge problem both for health reasons and cost factor to remedy the effected areas. Learning about the kind of dampness can reduce the overall cost and worry involved. In most cases dampness can be easily fixed by remedial work, other cases though can incur substantial monetary outlays to properly fix the situation.

 

Damp specialists examine the particular damp area and quote on the job and recommend steps to fix the problem. Depending on the amount of damage caused by the damp, the tradesperson may need to do small amounts of patching and fixing or if the damp is more substantial, they may need to do more structural work.

 

There are four main types of dampness in housing that needs to be looked out for. These are rising damp, condensation dampness, horizontal dampness and falling damp. Rising damp occurs in the base of walls where water has accumulated and the water itself slowly rises through the below building materials including mortar, brick and stone. Damp proof courses are usually installed below the wall within the floor to prevent this from happening. All new constructions must have this to comply with today’s building codes. Falling damp is caused by leaking roofs and down pipes which if left to pool, cause rising damp. Condensation damp is most commonly caused by moist air within the house condensing into liquid form and forms on walls and floors. Horizontal damp is where water moves through a wall horizontally seeping through, usually from defective wall structure.

Before engaging in business with any damp specialist tradesperson, be sure to check that the tradesperson is qualified to conduct repairs on the effected damp areas. Asking for testimonials and examples of previous works completed will be advantageous in choosing your trades person. Licensing or registration may be required.