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Welcome to the UK Damp and Decay website where you get honest, practical and understandable advice on all aspects of the diagnosis and control of dampness and timber decay.
UK Damp & Decay Control are members of the Property Care Association which is the premier trade body for the damp-proofing and timber treatment industry.
We offer independent damp and timber surveys which will accurately diagnose any dampness or decay problems together with chemical free, environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions
You have no doubt trawled through several sites on damp-proofing and
timber treatments and by now are familiar with the cause and cures for
rising dampness, woodworm, dry rot and other forms of fungal decay.
Most damp-proofing and timber treatments arise at the behest of Building
Societies and their Surveyors' reports during the buying and selling
process or for re-mortgaging purposes. The mortgage market is very tight
nowadays and the lending criteria is getting very strict and things are
set to get tighter in 2011 as the Financial Services Authority are now
asking Banks and Building Societies to vet our spending habits before a
mortgage is granted. The question is whether these treatments are really
necessary.
Before the credit crunch/recession Banks and Buildings Societies hardly
worried about damp or timber decay but nowadays it seems to be their
number one priority when undertaking mortgage valuations or Building
Surveys. Dampness and timber decay are nearly always highlighted in a
pre-purchase survey by Building Surveyors working on behalf of mortgage
providers. The surveyor will generally recommend that a damp and timber
report be obtained from a specialist damp-proofing and timber
contractor. Many Estate Agents have informal arrangements with lots of
tradesmen and these usually include damp-proofing and timber treatment
firms whereby the remedial company will carry out a 'free survey' on the
property and submit a report with their recommendations. Damp surveyors
(who are usually paid on a commission only basis) carry out most of
these surveys and some defects will invariably be found and an estimate
for carrying out the works will be included with your report.
Most of this work is unnecessary as rising dampness is often assumed to
be the problem when it may in fact be condensation or penetrating damp,
due to raised ground levels etc., and these two problems can usually be
remedied at a fraction of the cost of remedial works.
Over 90% of the houses that we survey have had a physical damp-proof
course fitted at the time of construction. This will usually be slate
for older houses and for houses built after the 1930’s it is often
hessian impregnated with bitumen. These physical damp-proof courses will
still be effective on controlling rising damp and there should never be
any need to install a chemical damp-proof course but the vast majority
of damp surveyors seem to always state ‘ rising dampness caused by the
breakdown or lack of a damp course was found and we recommend chemical
damp-proofing to all ground floor walls’. In reality physical damp-proof
course rarely fail and even if there has been some cracking of the damp
course it will still be effective in preventing most rising dampness
from the ground. Even if there is no damp-proof course present then
‘rising damp’ can be controlled by ensuring that the take up of moisture
from the ground is less than the evaporation rate from walls by
installing drainage channels etc to remove any moisture reservoir
effect.
Woodworm and fungal infestations are usually treated in the same way and
surveyors will recommend treatments with potentially toxic chemical
preservatives as a precautionary treatment against any possible
infestation by woodworm or wet and dry rot. However it is usual for
beetle and fungal decay to be confined to damp timbers and they are
easily controlled by the removal of the dampness without resorting to
the use of toxic chemicals. Dampness in floor timbers can also be
reduced by the installation of extra air bricks which will improve the
flow of air under timber floors and this will purge excess moisture from
the floor void, the result of this is that timbers will not be damp
enough to sustain any fungal decay or insect infestation and there will
be no justification for chemical timber treatments.
The works recommended after the 'free survey' can often result in the
buyer seeking a reduction in the price of the property or even
withdrawing their offer.
Instead of waiting for a purchaser to have a 'free damp and timber
survey' it would be prudent for anyone selling their property to have
your own independent survey undertaken to find the real extent of any
suspected dampness and timber defects.
We can provide a detailed report on any dampness and timber infestation
issues, which may arise as an obstacle to the sale of your house.
Our fees for surveying a property and providing a report range can be
found here, and vary depending on the duration and complexity of the
survey and in approximately 90% of properties surveyed resulted in no
remedial work being required therefore substantial savings compared to
the average cost of damp-proofing and woodworm treatment to a house,
which can easily exceed £4,000.
Usually the work involved to rectify any dampness or timber decay
problems are fairly straightforward and may just involve reducing
external ground levels and installing extra air bricks and can be
carried out by a competent general builder without resorting to any
specialist contractors but we can also carry out the works and deduct
the survey fee will be deducted from the final invoice.
If any damp-proofing or timber treatments are required then this work
will be covered by long term guarantees issued through the Guarantee
Protection Trust. These are the only insured guarantees which are
authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Building Societies and other lending institutions accept all our reports
and findings as a certificate of integrity of the house with regard to
dampness and timber defects as a suitable alternative to previously
obligatory guarantees.
We cover the whole of mainland U.K. and surveys can be arranged at short
notice, usually 2 to 3 days and reports can be e-mailed within a day of
the survey being carried out.
If you require an independent survey and assessment of any damp or
timber related problems please phone 0800 028 1903 or contact us by
e-mail on enquiries@ukdamp.co.uk
If you don't need a full damp or timber survey then we can still help
with our 'survey lite' option. Our surveyors can carry out brief but
comprehensive inspections to give you peace of mind from as little as
£250.00. If any work is required this fee is deducted from our final
invoice.
Please don’t contact us if you want a free survey or estimate as there
are plenty of other firms who are willing to do this for you but if you
want some advice over the phone regarding any aspect of dampness or
timber decay then please call 07736 631527 to speak to a surveyor.
Please don’t contact us if you want a free survey or estimate as there are plenty of other firms who are willing to do this for you but if you want some advice over the phone regarding any aspect of dampness or timber decay then please call 07736 631527 to speak to a surveyor.