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Damp proofing in Edenbridge? Get an independent survey first
In Edenbridge, damp proofing quotes often land on timber framed buildings and on houses on wet clay near the river, two situations where a standard damp proofing job is least likely to work. We are independent surveyors and we sell no treatment, so the report can say what will actually help.
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Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Edenbridge
A free damp survey in Edenbridge is usually a sales visit with a meter. The meter reads high on a wall that is wet for any reason, and on salts in old plaster even when the wall is dry, so a high reading proves very little. An independent survey finds the cause, and only the cause tells you whether damp proofing is the remedy at all.
The quotes we are most wary of here are injection and cement replastering on old buildings, and tanking on walls that are wet from ground levels or the river. On a timber frame, injection is meaningless. On a wall wet from raised clay ground, injection leaves the cause where it is. Near the Eden, groundwater under a floor is not something any wall treatment addresses.
A short guide to damp proofing methods
Chemical injection puts a water repellent barrier into the base of a wall. Electro osmotic and other proprietary systems make similar claims by different means. Membranes and tanking hold or drain water on below ground walls. Breathable or salt resistant plasters deal with what years of damp leave behind. They are tools, and the skill is in knowing which, if any, the wall needs.
Old Edenbridge walls built in timber frame and Wealden brick or soft brick were never meant to be sealed. They take a little water and lose it again, and many damp problems in them start the day somebody stopped them losing it. The right damp proofing for such a wall is often the work that lets it breathe again.
Edenbridge walls, and what they actually need
Edenbridge's old walls are timber framed or Wealden brick, bedded in lime and finished in lime. They need to breathe, they need ground kept low and drained on clay, and their tile hanging and weatherboarding need maintaining. Newer houses need clear courses and working ventilation.
Edenbridge is on Weald clay, which drains poorly and shrinks and swells with the seasons. The River Eden runs through the town on its way to the Medway and has flooded the low ground on several occasions. In winter the water table across the river flats is high, and clay gardens hold surface water against houses. On the higher ground towards Crockham Hill, sandstone and the greensand ridge drain more freely.
- Lowering ground and adding drainage at the base of walls on clay
- Replacing cement render and gypsum plaster on timber frames with lime
- Maintaining tile hanging and weatherboarding and protecting sole plates
- Floor and drainage measures for groundwater near the river
Damp proofing done properly, in the right order
- Find the cause: measure, look outside, rule the alternatives in or out
- Fix the cheap external faults first and give the wall time to respond
- Only then, if a timber frame and Wealden brick or brick wall is still wet at low level with no working course, consider a new damp proof course
- Replaster with materials that suit the wall: lime on old solid walls, never cement on soft brick or stone
- Ventilate and heat so the wall can dry, and check it again after a season
- Keep the paperwork: diagnosis, specification, guarantee and the readings after
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 Edenbridge 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
Genuine rising damp exists, and when the survey finds it the report specifies the remedy plainly. The test is not a meter reading but a pattern: damp highest at the base of the wall, falling with height, present on walls with no external fault, and present in summer as well as winter. In Edenbridge we find that pattern on a minority of the walls we are asked about.
Our survey fees are published on the prices page and fixed before we visit. Set against a damp proofing job on a Edenbridge 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 Edenbridge purchases involve either a period building in the centre or a cottage in the surrounding villages. Homebuyer and building surveys commonly recommend investigation of damp and timber. An independent survey establishes whether the issue is ground and rainwater, the effect of modern materials on an old frame, or active decay, and what a sympathetic repair would involve.
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 Edenbridge 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 Edenbridge.
Around Edenbridge
The High Street
Timber framed buildings behind later fronts, many listed. Surveys are non invasive, and recommendations favour lime and breathable finishes that can gain consent.
Marlpit Hill and the north of the town
Post war and later housing. Mould in bedrooms and bathrooms, extract fans and drives over the course are what we usually find.
Hever, Chiddingstone and Four Elms
Villages with timber frames, oasts and barn conversions. Breathability and timber condition are the main questions, often for buyers of period property.
What customers say on Google
5/5 Stars! - Brilliant service from start to finish! Had these guys out to do a damp survey on the house and I can't fault them at all. The surveyor was dead polite, turned up bang on time, and knew his stuff inside out.
Ronnie, on Google
He didn't try talking down to me or baffling me with fancy terms—just showed me what the issue was, explained it straight, and told me honestly what needed doing without trying to flog me anything I didn't need. Got the report through quickly too.
Proper top-tier service, would definitely recommend them to anyone needing a decent, honest surveyor.
Recommended them to some landlord friends and a property manager. All came back and thanked me as the work was excellent and priced very competitively.we found Tom and Nick very personable and professional. Would Recommend them to anyone.
Hunter Services, on Google
Damp proofing questions in Edenbridge
Can a timber framed Edenbridge house have a damp proof course?
Timber frames usually stand on a brick or stone plinth, which may or may not have a course. Damp in the frame itself almost always comes from rainwater, ground levels or finishes that stop it drying. Those are what need dealing with, and none of them is solved by injecting the plinth.
Should I tank a damp wall near the River Eden?
Not an above ground wall. Tanking holds water back on walls below ground, and on an old above ground wall it traps moisture inside. Near the river, damp in floors and low walls is usually groundwater and wet clay, which call for drainage, ground levels and breathable finishes.
What does a good repair look like for a listed Edenbridge building?
Like for like materials: lime mortars and plasters, breathable paints, sound rainwater goods, and ground kept below the floor. The report sets these out as a specification an experienced historic building contractor can price.
A firm found rising damp in every wall of our cottage. Is that likely?
Unlikely across every wall. Salts in old plaster give high meter readings on dry walls, and raised ground, rainwater and condensation all mimic rising damp. An independent survey checks the pattern and the readings at depth before money is spent.
Do you need to open up walls?
Not usually. Readings, inspection and photographs settle most questions. Where opening up would change the conclusion, the report specifies the smallest opening needed and exactly where.
Can you check the work afterwards?
Yes. A return visit after a drying period records readings, so you know whether the wall responded and the cause was dealt with.
Do you carry out damp proofing in Edenbridge?
No. We survey and report only, and we take no commission from contractors. That is what lets the report say a wall does not need damp proofing when it does not. Where it does, the specification is written for you to get like for like quotes.
Nearby
Book a survey before you pay for damp proofing
Holding a damp proofing quote? Book a survey and we will tell you whether it matches what is actually wrong with your Edenbridge home.
Book a Survey or call 07386 225526