Damp proofing in Ashford? Get an independent survey first

Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Ashford

Most of the walls we are asked to look at in Ashford after a damp proofing quote do not need a new damp proof course. They need the water dealt with at its source: a path lowered, a gutter cleared, Victorian brick and modern block repointed in the right mortar, or a fan that actually extracts. Injecting a wall that is wet for another reason costs real money and fixes nothing, and the tide mark returns once the new plaster dries out.

The Ashford quotes we see most are damp proofing or "condensation packages" on new build houses where the problem is uncommissioned ventilation or construction moisture, and injection on Victorian terraces where raised ground has bridged the course. In the first case, the developer may be responsible. In the second, the fix is at the ground.

The kinds of damp proofing, and what each one is for

"Damp proofing" covers several different jobs. A chemical damp proof course is a cream or fluid injected into a mortar course to stop moisture rising from the ground. A physical course is a membrane or slate cut into the wall, slower and more disruptive. Tanking is a waterproof coating or render that holds water back on a wall below ground. A drained membrane lets water reach the wall and carries it away to a channel and pump.

Each answers one fault. None of them fixes rain coming through Victorian brick and modern block or brick, a gutter overflowing down a corner, or condensation on a cold wall, and those three account for most of the damp we are asked about in Ashford. Replastering is often sold alongside, and on old solid walls the choice of plaster matters as much as anything injected.

Ashford walls, and what they actually need

Modern Ashford walls are cavity built with damp proof courses and membranes that work. They need working ventilation and sound details. Victorian terraces need their courses kept clear, their airbricks open and their gutters working. Village buildings need breathable repairs.

Ashford sits where the Great Stour and the East Stour meet, on Weald clay and river deposits, with the greensand rising to the north. The river valleys through the town are low and wet, and areas near the rivers have flood risk. Weald clay drains slowly and moves with the seasons, so gardens hold water and new estates rely on engineered drainage and balancing ponds.

• Commissioning or repairing mechanical ventilation in new homes
• Raising defects with the developer or warranty provider while in warranty
• Lowering ground and reopening airbricks on Victorian terraces
• Breathable repairs on weatherboarded and timber framed village houses

Older Ashford: terraces, villages and oasts

The Victorian terraces around the station and Newtown were built for railway workers, in brick with slate courses that mostly still work. Pavements, yards and paths have risen over the years, and on many houses the ground now sits at or above the course. That is the commonest cause of low level damp in them, and lowering or draining the ground is the fix.

In Kennington, Willesborough and the villages beyond, you find weatherboarded cottages, timber frames and oast conversions. These need breathable repairs and attention to sole plates and lower boards, not injection. A converted oast in particular needs its wall build up and ventilation assessed together, because the conversion closed up a building designed to let air through.

Either way, the right work is usually maintenance and repair to the building rather than a damp proofing system, and the survey sets out exactly what and in what order.

What proper damp proofing should look like

• A written diagnosis first, with readings and photographs, saying why the wall is wet
• External causes fixed before or alongside any internal work: ground levels, gutters, pointing, render
• A damp proof course only where one is missing or has genuinely failed, at the right height for the Ashford house in question
• Salt contaminated plaster removed and replaced with a suitable breathable or salt resistant finish, not sealed over
• Drying time allowed before decoration, because a wall that has been wet for years does not dry in a week
• A guarantee that names the walls treated and the cause addressed, from a firm that will still be there

How to avoid being oversold

• Never sign on the day of a free survey. A genuine problem will still be there next week
• Ask what else could cause the readings, and how each alternative was ruled out
• Ask for the readings in writing, with where they were taken
• Be wary of whole house treatment for damp found on one wall
• Be wary of tanking or a membrane on an above ground wall that is wet from outside
• Get an independent survey on any Ashford job above a few hundred pounds; it often costs less than the plaster you would lose

When a damp proof course is the right answer

There are walls in Ashford that do need a damp proof course. A solid wall built without one, or with a slate or bitumen course that has cracked or been cut through, that is wet at low level with nothing outside to explain it and with the readings falling off with height, is a reasonable candidate. When we find that, the report says so and specifies where and how high, so you can get comparable quotes.

Our survey fees are published on the prices page and fixed before we visit. Set against a damp proofing job on a Ashford house, which typically runs to several times that once plaster removal and making good are included, the survey is small. When it shows that a wall needs a gutter repair rather than an injected course, it pays for itself several times over.

Many Ashford buyers are choosing between a newer house on one of the estates and a Victorian terrace near the station. On the new house, find out whether any damp is construction moisture, a ventilation fault or a defect still under warranty. On the terrace, find out whether it is ground level, rainwater or salts. An independent survey before exchange answers both.

After the survey you have the cause in writing, a list of what needs doing in order, and what does not. If damp proofing is part of it, the report specifies the walls, the height and the finish, so the quotes you collect in Ashford are for the same job. If it is not, you have the evidence to say no to the quote you were given.

For the full picture of what a survey here involves, see damp surveys in Ashford.

Around Ashford

Around the station and Newtown

Victorian railway terraces. Ground levels, airbricks and rear additions are the main causes.

Singleton, Park Farm, Kingsnorth and Repton Park

Large modern estates. Ventilation, construction moisture and detail defects, often within warranty.

Kennington, Willesborough and the villages

Older village cores with weatherboarding and timber frames, plus twentieth century housing. Breathable repairs and condensation.

Damp proofing questions in Ashford

Nearby

• Damp proofing in Canterbury
• Damp proofing in Folkestone
• Damp proofing in Hythe
• Damp proofing in Maidstone

Book a survey before you pay for damp proofing

An independent survey before you pay for damp proofing in Ashford. Fixed fee, same day reply, written report within 24 hours.

Book a Survey or call 07386 225526