Damp proofing in Herne Bay? Get an independent survey first

Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Herne Bay

Most of the walls we are asked to look at in Herne Bay 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 render 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 quotes we see most often in Herne Bay are injection and waterproof replastering on seafront and terrace walls where readings are driven by salt and the damp by wind driven rain, and treatment inside flats for water coming from a shared parapet or roof. The flat owner pays, and the water keeps arriving.

Injection, tanking, membranes: what they are for

Injection is for rising damp: groundwater drawn up a wall that has no working course. Tanking and cavity drain membranes are for walls below ground that hold back soil and water, such as cellars and basements. Salt resistant replastering is for walls where years of damp have left salts in the old plaster. Ventilation is for condensation. A quote that applies one of them to the wrong problem will fail however well it is installed.

In Herne Bay the commonest mismatch we see is injection and a cement based replaster on a wall whose real trouble is outside: open joints, raised ground or a leaking downpipe. Fix those and the wall often dries without anything being injected at all.

Herne Bay walls, and what they actually need

The town's Victorian buildings need sound render, parapets and bays, breathable plaster that copes with salts and ground kept below the course. Bungalows and post war houses need ventilation, insulation at cold spots and sound flat roofs.

Herne Bay sits on London Clay and sands, with the land rising eastwards to the cliffs at Bishopstone and Reculver, where coastal erosion is well known. Clay drains slowly, and in winter gardens and yards stay wet against walls. The seafront is protected by sea defences, and the lowest ground near the front has a high water table.

• Render, parapet and bay repairs on exposed elevations, usually through the freeholder in flats
• Salt tolerant or breathable plaster where old plaster is contaminated
• Flat roof and junction repairs on extensions
• Ventilation and insulation at cold spots for mould in bungalows

Seafront flats and who pays

In converted seafront buildings, the parts that keep water out, the roof, the parapet, the external walls and the render, are usually the freeholder's responsibility under the leases. Damp inside a flat that comes through those parts is a building repair, and a flat owner who pays for damp proofing on their own walls has paid for the wrong thing.

Our report records where the water enters, with readings and photographs, and states whether that is likely to be part of the common structure. That is the evidence a freeholder or managing agent needs, and it is independent, because we do not carry out any of the work.

For houses and bungalows inland, the causes are more often ventilation, cold spots and flat roof junctions. Each has a specific repair, and none involves injecting the walls.

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 Victorian brick and render 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 Herne Bay 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 Herne Bay 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 Herne Bay 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.

Herne Bay offers a lot of space for the money, often in converted seafront buildings or bungalows. Homebuyer reports commonly flag damp, and the cause is frequently in a part of the building the buyer will share with others. An independent survey before exchange identifies the source and who is responsible, which is essential when buying a flat.

What you do with the report is up to you. Most people fix the outside faults first, which are usually the cheapest, and give the wall a season to dry. Some take the specification to two or three Herne Bay contractors. Some send it back to the firm that quoted, which often changes the quote.

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

Around Herne Bay

The seafront and town centre

Tall Victorian and Edwardian buildings, many flats. Parapets, render, bays and the responsibilities of freeholders and leaseholders are the main themes.

Central terraces

Solid brick terraces and semis inland from the front. Raised ground, rear additions and salt are the usual causes.

Beltinge, Studd Hill and Greenhill

Bungalows, chalets and twentieth century houses. Mould, flat roofs and ventilation are what we usually find.

Damp proofing questions in Herne Bay

Nearby

• Damp proofing in Whitstable
• Damp proofing in Margate
• Damp proofing in Canterbury

Book a survey before you pay for damp proofing

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

Book a Survey or call 07386 225526