Damp proofing in West Malling? Get an independent survey first

Why the survey comes before damp proofing in West Malling

A free damp survey in West Malling 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 that concern us most in West Malling are injection and cement based replastering on timber framed or stone buildings behind Georgian fronts. Sealing the inside of such a wall stops it drying in either direction if the outside has already been rendered in cement. The damp moves into the frame or the core, which is far more serious than a damp patch on plaster.

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 Kentish ragstone and Georgian brick 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 West Malling. Replastering is often sold alongside, and on old solid walls the choice of plaster matters as much as anything injected.

West Malling walls, and what they actually need

Old West Malling walls need lime: lime render, lime pointing, lime plaster. They need the ground kept below the floor, gutters and valleys sound, and in timber framed buildings, finishes that let the frame dry. Newer houses in Leybourne need their ventilation working and their construction details sound, not a damp course.

West Malling sits on the Hythe Beds ragstone with sands and clays around it, on rising ground below the North Downs. Streams run from the springs at the foot of the Downs through the town towards the Medway, and the abbey grounds have their own watercourse and lake. Old walls close to these streams sit in ground that stays wetter, and the steep lanes towards Offham shed water quickly in heavy rain.

• Replacing cement render and pointing on old fabric with lime, carefully and with consent where needed
• Repairing valley gutters, parapets and flashings on the High Street buildings
• Reopening airbricks and lowering ground to ventilate suspended timber floors
• Commissioning or repairing mechanical ventilation in newer homes with mould

Lime and patience

The answer for most damp old buildings in West Malling is lime, and patience. Removing cement pointing and render, replacing gypsum plaster with lime, lowering ground and repairing gutters starts the drying process, but a thick old wall that has been wet for years takes months to dry out. Decorating too soon, or with an impermeable paint, slows it again.

The report sets out the order of work and suggests when to re check, so that decoration happens when the wall is ready rather than when the builder has finished.

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 West Malling 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 West Malling 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

We are not against damp proofing. We are against it being the default. When a West Malling wall has no working course, sits on damp ground and stays wet after the outside has been put right, a damp proof course and suitable replastering is the right job, and the report will say that and specify it.

Damp proofing is priced per metre of wall plus replastering, and on an older West Malling 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.

Buying a period house in West Malling usually means a building survey, and that survey will often recommend a specialist look at damp or timber. An independent damp survey fills that gap without a sales motive, and gives you a realistic idea of whether you are looking at maintenance or at a structural repair hidden behind an old render.

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 West Malling 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 West Malling.

Around West Malling

High Street and the conservation area

Listed buildings, shops with flats above and townhouses. Surveys are non invasive by default, and recommendations are written to be achievable with the consent the buildings require.

Swan Street, West Street and the cottages

Smaller period houses in stone and brick. The usual causes are ground levels, gutters and cement repairs, and the usual answers are lime and drainage.

Leybourne and the newer estates

Recent developments on former hospital and estate land. Mould and damp here usually trace back to ventilation or a construction detail rather than to anything rising.

Damp proofing questions in West Malling

Nearby

• Damp proofing in East Malling
• Damp proofing in Kings Hill
• Damp proofing in Snodland
• Damp proofing in Tonbridge

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 West Malling home.

Book a Survey or call 07386 225526