Damp proofing in Tunbridge Wells? Get an independent survey first

Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Tunbridge Wells

Damp proofing is the answer to one specific fault, a missing or failed damp proof course, and that fault is far rarer in Tunbridge Wells than the quotes suggest. Before anyone drills a wall, somebody with nothing to sell should establish why it is wet. That is the whole of what we do. We carry out no treatment, so the survey is not a route to a sale.

The quotes we see most in Tunbridge Wells are injection and tanking in lower ground floors that are damp because they retain the hillside, and injection on walls wet from render or tile hanging failures. A chemical damp proof course is a horizontal barrier; it does nothing for water arriving sideways from retained ground or downwards from a failed elevation.

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 sandstone, stucco and tile hanging 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 Tunbridge Wells. Replastering is often sold alongside, and on old solid walls the choice of plaster matters as much as anything injected.

Tunbridge Wells walls, and what they actually need

The town's older walls are brick behind stucco, sandstone, or brick and timber behind tile hanging and weatherboarding. They need sound, breathable render, intact tiles and battens, working rainwater goods and, on sloping plots, drainage that intercepts water before it reaches the house. Lower ground rooms need a proper below ground solution.

The town stands on the Tunbridge Wells Sand, part of the High Weald, with outcrops of sandstone at High Rocks, Toad Rock in Rusthall and the Common. Between the sandstone ridges are bands of clay, and valleys like the Grom and the streams towards High Brooms collect water. The chalybeate spring that gave the town its name is a reminder that groundwater is never far away on the lower ground.

• Repairing tile hanging and battens so they shed water again
• Repairing stucco in compatible materials and repainting in a breathable finish
• Intercepting garden run off on sloping plots with a drainage channel uphill of the house
• A drained membrane or other below ground system for lower ground rooms, after the water is understood

What to fix first on a sloping plot

On a sloping Tunbridge Wells plot, the cheapest and most effective damp repair is often a drainage channel across the garden uphill of the house, taking surface water around the building instead of into it. After that come gutters and downpipes, then the condition of render and tile hanging, then anything inside. That order matters, because internal work done before the water is controlled will fail.

Lower ground floors need special care. If the room sits below the level of the garden behind, the rear wall is retaining ground and needs a below ground solution, usually a drained membrane with a sump where needed. It should be designed for the water present, and that means surveying first.

The signs of a damp proofing job worth paying for

• The contractor can tell you the cause in a sentence and show you the evidence
• The quote mentions what is happening outside the Tunbridge Wells house, not only inside
• Plaster removal is limited to where salts actually are, with a height that matches the readings
• Materials are named and suit the wall, rather than a standard system applied to every house
• The guarantee is insurance backed or otherwise protected, and states exactly what it covers
• Nobody pressed you to sign on the day

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 Tunbridge Wells period house that would be identical for a 1990s semi

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 Tunbridge Wells we find that pattern on a minority of the walls we are asked about.

Damp proofing is priced per metre of wall plus replastering, and on an older Tunbridge Wells house that adds up quickly. The survey is a fixed fee, published on our prices page, and its job is to make sure you only pay a contractor for the metres that need it, if any.

In Tunbridge Wells many buyers are looking at period conversions with a lower ground floor, or tile hung houses where the condition of the hanging is hard to judge from the ground. A homebuyer report that flags damp is common. An independent survey before exchange identifies whether the cause is the hillside, the render, the tiles or the ventilation, and who is responsible where the building is shared.

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 Tunbridge Wells 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 Tunbridge Wells.

Around Tunbridge Wells

Calverley, the Pantiles and the centre

Regency and Victorian stucco terraces and villas, many converted into flats, with lower ground floors and basements. Render, parapets and retained ground are the main themes.

St Johns, Southborough and High Brooms

Victorian terraces and later housing to the north. Raised yards, bays, rear additions and sloping gardens are where most damp starts.

Rusthall, Langton Green and Pembury

Villages and suburbs with tile hung and weatherboarded houses and twentieth century estates. Tile hanging, timber and condensation make up most of the work.

Damp proofing questions in Tunbridge Wells

Nearby

• Damp proofing in Tonbridge
• Damp proofing in Sevenoaks
• Damp proofing in Edenbridge

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 Tunbridge Wells home.

Book a Survey or call 07386 225526