Damp proofing in Margate? Get an independent survey first

Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Margate

Most of the walls we are asked to look at in Margate 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, Georgian and Victorian brick, render and flint 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 that concern us most in Margate are injection and waterproof replastering inside flats when the water is coming from a parapet, a gutter or the external wall, and tanking in above ground rooms of Georgian buildings. In a converted house, a flat owner can pay for damp proofing that never had a chance of working because the source belongs to the building.

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 Georgian and Victorian brick, render and flint 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 Margate. Replastering is often sold alongside, and on old solid walls the choice of plaster matters as much as anything injected.

Margate walls, and what they actually need

Margate's older walls are lime built brick and flint and need lime repairs and breathable finishes. Its large Victorian houses need roofs, parapets and gutters maintained. Its flats need adequate ventilation and heating. Twentieth century houses need clear courses and ventilation. Damp proof courses are rarely the missing piece.

Margate sits on the chalk of the Isle of Thanet, which drains quickly, with chalk cliffs along the coast. Water moves rapidly through the ground after rain, so damp that follows the weather is common in cellars and on walls against higher ground. Sea spray and salt carried inland on north and north easterly winds keep masonry close to the front damp and salty.

• Roof, parapet and valley gutter repairs on converted houses, through the freeholder
• Lime repairs on Georgian and flint buildings instead of cement and injection
• Ventilation and heating improvements in flats and shared houses with mould
• Designed below ground solutions for chalk cellars used as rooms

What damp proofing cannot do in a converted house

Damp proofing treats walls. It cannot fix a roof, a parapet, a valley gutter, a soil stack or a balcony. In Margate's converted houses those are where most water comes from, and they belong to the building rather than to any one flat.

If you own a flat and a firm has quoted to inject and replaster your walls, ask where the water is coming from. If it is from above, from outside or from a shared pipe, the treatment cannot succeed, and the cost of fixing the source may not even be yours. A report that shows the source is what a freeholder or managing agent needs to act.

If you are a landlord facing mould complaints, damp proofing is rarely the answer either. Extraction, heating and fixing any defect that makes a wall cold or wet are what bring the hazard down, and those are what an inspector or a tenant's representative will look for.

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 Georgian and Victorian brick, render and flint 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

Red flags in a damp proofing quote

• A diagnosis of rising damp from a single meter reading
• No mention of anything outside the house
• Injection recommended on internal walls, chimney breasts or walls above ground floor
• A discount that expires today
• Treatment of woodworm or rot in every timber "as a precaution"
• A quote for a Margate period house that would be identical for a 1990s semi

When a damp proof course is the right answer

There are walls in Margate 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 Margate 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.

Margate has seen many buyers arrive in recent years, often buying flats in converted Cliftonville houses or Georgian homes needing work. Damp is common in both. An independent survey before exchange separates problems in your flat from problems in the building, which is vital when the fix depends on a freeholder or other owners.

The report is yours to use as you like: to compare quotes, to put to a seller or landlord, or simply to know. We take no commission and recommend no contractor, so you choose who does any work in Margate, and we will read their quote against the report if you ask.

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

Around Margate

The Old Town and harbour

Georgian and older buildings, many listed, some with chalk cellars. Lime repairs, salt and cellar water are the main questions.

Cliftonville

Large Victorian houses, many flats and shared houses. Roofs, parapets, shared drainage and condensation, with responsibility often divided.

Westbrook, Garlinge and Westgate

Victorian and twentieth century houses west of the centre. Bays, render, mould and bridged courses are typical.

Damp proofing questions in Margate

Nearby

• Damp proofing in Broadstairs
• Damp proofing in Ramsgate
• Damp proofing in Herne Bay

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 Margate home.

Book a Survey or call 07386 225526