Common Failures within properties

What I offer

I will for an inspection fee carry out a personal survey of a property or problem within a property.  I will then provide a full report and CAD drawing of the areas of potential faults together with an explanation of the source of moisture ingress complete with specifications and material requirements for your builder or contractor to work to or provide trained and experienced qualified operatives to carry out the necessary works.
My surveys and reports are tailor made for the age and type of property, and the materials specified will be suitable for the application intended.  All of which will be in the clients interest not sales based.  I pride myself on experience and enjoy a personal approach to problem solving

Why Choose an Independent Surveyor

 

• An Independent Surveyor offers independent and impartial assessments of your property. Independent Remedial Treatments Surveyors are different.
  

 

• We are not salesman! We are employed by you to diagnose your specific problem, to understand your requirements, offer advice and provide you with recommendations and specifications for your work requirements.

•  We take a holistic approach to any problems.

• Companies that offer "free survey" or even "charge you" have to sell their own products and works this can lead to their surveys being inaccurate and geared towards selling you a product or treatments offered by their company, they will often employ sales based Surveyors on Commision.

• An independent survey and report will give you peace of mind and can save you thousands of pounds. 

Who would benefit from my services?

 

Clients who would benefit from my services offered are as follows:

• Vendors purchasing and selling properties
• Landlords / Tenants
• Building Societies and Mortgage lenders
• Estate Agents, Surveyors and Architects
• Owners, Occupiers with persistent dampness problems.
• Builders, Remedial contractors, Insurance companies and assessors.
• Local authorities, Charities, Churches

My services are available for small projects right through to full refurbishments and renovations. 

The common types of dampness........................

One of the most frequent problems encountered in the home is damp. There are three major causes of damp, which each require a different remedy. Whatever the cause, damp can be bad for health and therefore it is important that you get independent advice if you think you are affected.

Rising Damp

Rising damp normally occurs in properties which either have not been built with a damp proof course (DPC) or where the DPC has failed. The most obvious signs of rising damp are a brown "tidemark" on the wall and the plaster below feels cold or damp to the touch. Rising damp can affect any wall in contact with the ground and therefore can affect internal as well as external walls. It does not normally rise above about 1 metre (3ft) in height, but can rise above this level if plaster is porous.......... so do all my walls need treatment? Is it rising damp?............

Penetrating Damp

Penetrating damp can affect almost any location in the home and is usually the result of a building or plumbing fault allowing water to enter into the property. A brown stain normally occurs on the affected surface, which grows in size as more water penetrates If the fault is not rectified plaster will start to perish and in the case of ceilings could even collapse.

Condensation

Condensation differs from rising and penetrating damp in that it is caused by excessive moisture within the atmosphere that cannot escape from a building rather than moisture coming in. The first sign that condensation is a problem is when black pinpricks of mould appear on walls, ceilings and even furnishings. There is usually a “musty smell” present and clothes and shoes in cupboards can become covered in a white or green furry mould. Factors, which contribute to condensation, include not opening windows, drying washing inside or using unvented tumble dryers and inadequate heating, but the biggest cause of condensation is the use of portable calor gas heaters. If the cause of the condensation is not rectified the pin pricks of mould will grow and can eventually cover whole walls and ceilings and ruin clothes and decorations.

Decay

Timber and Brickwork make up 90% of most properties structures. These materials are affected by dampness and persistent moisture ingress, both the above will degrade with constant exposure to the affects of water. Timbers in direct contact with damp surfaces will be at risk of decay

 

  

But......Which one do I have???? And how extensive is Rising Damp?

Homeowners and even some surveyors are all too often, to quick to assume that problems with dampness are caused by “rising damp”. In fact true rising damp is not that common. Before any measures are undertaken, the problem should be analyzed in order to identify the cause properly. In the first instance professional advice should be obtained rather than that of a specialist contractor. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) have suggested that only 10% of the dampness problems it investigates are attributable to rising damp. Unfortunately, there are a number of companies specializing in damp proof course replacement who obviously have a commercial interest in finding problems with rising damp. In the first instance professional advice should be obtained rather than that of a specialist contractor.

Because of the high cost of remedial work, it is essential that any diagnosis is as positive as possible to distinguish between rising damp and other sources of damp. The diagnosis needs to be treated with caution. Although there are several reputable companies working in this field, it may be wise to seek independent advice. Further "encouragement" to find problems of rising damp is provided by banks and building societies who often request a damp report as a condition of a mortgage advance.

Whats the difference between a Contractor and an Independent Surveyor?

A Contractor whether offering a "Free Survey" or "Charging you for a survey", is interested in finding work. Naturally they have a commercial interest in finding damp and decay and specifying works. Often the Surveyors are sales orientated and on commisioned salary. Would you trust a company openly advertising services,to give you an unbiased opinion of the source of moisture ingress in your property?

An Independent Surveyor is just that - independent. The surveyor will give a totally unbiased report tailored to the specific needs of the buyer, and offer independent advice upon which the buyer can base a decision, uninfluenced by any external considerations. Independent Surveyors have no financial interest in finding work or problems that do not exist. Our mission and object is to inspect, diagnose and provide opinion of problems reported by others or, to inspect for pre-sale purposes to determine if any problems exist.

"Be safe be sure use an Independent qualified surveyor."