Questions we are commonly asked:
- What exactly is rising damp?Put simply it is the absorption of water from the soil by brick or concrete walls by capillary action. The ground moisture rises up the wall untill it reaches above floor level then evaporates into your home interior. The structural damage isn't caused by the water but by the minerals and salts it leaves behind when it evaporates.
- Can rising damp be permenantly fixed?Yes it can. With a new damp proof course and added sub floor ventilation, in the majority of cases rising damp will be gone forever.
- What are other factors that contribute to rising damp?Anything that adds moisture to the soil or stops it drying out can be a contributor to risng damp.
- No or failed damp proof course. (Common in older properties)
- Lack of sub floor ventilation.
- Rain water pooling under the house.
- Yard falling toward the house where the soil is nearly always damp.
- A plumbing leak or blocked drain in the vicinity of the house wall.
- A bridged damp proof course by render or similar.
- Is rising damp expensive to fix?Lets start with a fact. Rising damp is not cheap to fix but thats relative to other determining factors: value of the property, the extent of the damp etc. Considering the damage it can do to walls and other building elements and potential health issues to your family and your own health it is considered money well spent. Also it could be considered that you have added value to to your home. In an area where almost all houses experience rising damp issues (older areas of Sydney), imagine showing potential buyers that you have zero rising damp and have eradicated it. Thats a great selling point.
- How do you tell if you have rising damp?There are a few factors that signal risng damp. Depending on the severity you could have one or more of the following:
- A musty smell when your house has been closed.
- Staining to lower walls.
- Peeling wall paper or bubbling paint on lower walls.
- Condensation after rain.
- Presence of black mould.
- Rotting skirting boards in severe cases.
- What if rising damp is left untreated?As the moisture accumulates in and throughout your walls, it can rot skirting boards, remove paint, damage the plaster or gyprock of your walls and even potentially cause the masonry of your render and between your brickwork to deteriorate. The longer you wait to fix your rising damp, the more money you'll have to spend on repair. Fix your rising damp as soon as you can.
- Why should i use your business?When i started this business i wanted to bring some professionalism to the industry. Which is very much needed. What does that mean? This is what i experienced when i was attempting to have rising damp on my own property repaired:I have been invloved in the building industry for over 30 years and have seen how many trades operate. I can say with confidence the rising damp are among the worse i've seen. So our mission is to change that. One rising damp repair at a time.
- People just not turning up for quotes.
- Or turning up late with no notice.
- Lack of communication.
- Messy and dirty workers turning up to quote.
- Not staying with quoted prices.
- Low quality work.
- Not cleaning up after work has been done.
- Absolutely no focus on the customer and their needs.
- Why is the term "salt damp" sometimes used for rising damp?The somewhat old fashioned term "salt damp" refers to the minerals and salts from the soil that is left behind when the moisture eveaporates. It is this salt that causes the damage associated with rising damp.
- How long do i need to wait to plaster or paint my walls after the rising damp is fixed?It usually takes up to two months before the exisiting moisture in your wall evaporates after the rising damp is eradicated. Determing factors are:
- How severe the rising damp is.
- The make up the wall itself. Type of brick, concrete, stud wall plaster etc
- The amount of natural ventilation to the area. In a house that is always closed it will take longer.
- The amount of sub floor ventilation.