ground floor flat

Damp is a particular issue on the ground and lower ground floors as;

  1. Occupiers are less always to keep windows constantly open.
  2. It gets the fewest hours of sunshine.
  3. Warm air rises rises, cold air falls.
  4. It is closest to the exterior ground level which is the most susceptible to rainwater issues, gutters, hoppers, downpipes and gullies.
  5. It’s closes to the garden which is often built up or has objects that direct rain water onto the walls.
  6. Often the cold water mains water comes in through the ground floor, causing a cold spot for water to condense on.
  7. Design optimisation means that ground floor flats normally don’t waste the front or back with a bathroom or kitchen, so the source of water is furthest from the outside, leaving extraction issues.
  8. If there is a leak, water falls from above, and or water leaks from below the ground.
  9. Solid floors are more likely on the ground floor, plasters notoriously allow the plaster to touch the solid floor. When any damp collects, the plaster will absorb it. THIS IS NOT RISING DAMP and is simple to treat.
  10. The air at the ground level is more humid and there is less air movement (wind) the closer you are to the ground.

 

Damp Treatment Fails

Leave a Comment / Misdiagnosis / By

Yesterday we surveyed two properties both with damage caused by a large chemical damp proofing company. Here’s a snippet of the Plc’s failures. Damp treatment failure Ask for more details of what goes wrong when damp is misdiagnosed and why it causes more problems than it solves. Please add your comments.

Estate agent

Leave a Comment / Unidentified / By

24hr turn around Ask us for a Priority Urgent Damp Report (Damp and Timber Reports) Vendors Buyer are unhappy to spend additional money on a damp survey. Builders (damp contractors) offer quotes for works, which they call damp surveys, so what do you expect…. a £10,000 estimate for rising damp and renegotiation. Agents are seeing …

Estate agent Read More »

Misdiagnosis condensation, as penetrating damp through chimney

Leave a Comment / Penetrating Damp / By

Damp Surveys – problem damp in lower ground floor flat Misdiagnosis An independent surveyor missed the obvious signs of condensation. Sad, because you expect contractors to misdiagnose damp, after all “they are incentivised to sell”. A cold November day, 4 people living in a two bedroom lower ground floor flat, no extractor fan in kitchen nor bathroom …

Misdiagnosis condensation, as penetrating damp through chimney Read More »