Press/News

The floods may have subsided somewhat in parts of the country but experts are still predicting a possible return later in the week along with unusually cold, frosty weather.

Although the worst of the downpours seem to be over, certain rivers are not far from their peaks and dozens of flood warnings from the Environment Agency remain active. . To find out about the latest flood warning visit the Environment Agency Flood Warnings page.

After the flooding begins the hard work of making the properties habitable again following the damage caused by flooding – that where Timberwise can help!

Flooding and Flood Treatments from the Flood Remediation Specialists

When a building has been subjected to flooding it is vital that any flood remediation work is carried out by experts.   Timberwise, as members of the Property Care Association Flood Remediation Group, are specialists when it comes to repairing buildings that have been affected by water ingress.

As members of the Property Care Association Flood Remediation Group we can also:

1. Assist in the recovery of the flooded building.  

Assist the company undertaking the drying aspects of the property and can undertake investigations to highlight areas at greatest risk from fungal decay or degradation. This will reduce the possibility of problems of dry rot and other latent defects affecting the building after the drying out process is complete.

2. Provide effective repairs to damaged areas of the property.

At Timberwise we deal with damp and dampness every day and our experience in dealing with rising and penetrating dampness can also be applied to flooded buildings. We are experienced in the damage caused by water ingress and can advise on the necessary solution as a result of the water ingress. Problems with repairs that are flooding related are common – but these may only surface sometime after the property is repaired.

3. Providing refurbishment and repair solutions can introduce greater long term resilience to future flood water ingress.  

In some instances it may be possible to undertake repairs that will provide the building with far greater resilience to future floods. With our expertise in waterproofing we are ideally placed to help.   As members of the PCA Flood Remediation Group Timberwise have to meet tough criteria. Timberwise can be called upon to provide high quality flood remediation works, as well as advice and guidance with drying the building and preventing decay following a flood. For further information on floods and how to prepare in the event of a flood visit the Environment Agency web pages dedicated to flooding.

If you have a property that has suffered at the hands of flooding and needs help from our team of specialists either eMail our team  or call 0800 288 8660. Timberwise

Recent research from Aviva has revealed that at the Easter bank holiday an amazing 9.5 million people intended to carry out some form of DIY around the house. The research also highlighted that although the vast majority of people are quick to spot and act on jobs within the home millions of home owners are neglecting work that needs to be carried out outside. The cost of turning a blind eye to those external DIY jobs – a potentially staggering £10,000 in the long term.

Have you checked your chimney stack recently?

If you haven’t checked your chimney stack recently you are not alone – the Aviva research uncovered that only 15% of people check for defects on the chimney stack monthly, as recommended by surveyors, and 21% of us admit to never checking it. Although it may not seem the most important of jobs defective stacks can lead to potential damp problems within the property. Another potential area of neglect is the roof – one in ten UK homeowners have never checked for signs of slipping or missing roof tiles – this once again can lead to potential damp and rot problems. A sound roof is essential to the structural integrity of a house and if a problem with tiles is ignored it can once again land you with an unwanted repair bill.

Heather Smith, Director of home insurance at Aviva said: “Many of the common and expensive problems that affect homes often begin outside the home. For example, damage from damp that seeps in through leaky external walls, standing water on flat roofs, and missing roof tiles.”

Another area of concern is the garden - here Japanese Knotweed lurks ready to cause damage to property! 46% of homeowners admit to never checking for signs of it and 43% didn’t know that it could cause serious damage to property in the form of damaged walls, drains and paving.

Give your property a health check!

To help keep your property in tip top condition here’s a list of the top things to check on your property:

1) Defective chimney stack / roof flashing’s: Check on a monthly basis for damp stains around the chimney breast area.

2) Missing or damaged roof tiles: Check every month for damp patches on interior ceilings.

3) Defective guttering:  Keep an eye out for damp patches, discolouration or salty deposits on the outside of walls. Defective and blocked guttering is a major source of penetrating damp.

4) Wet Rot and Dry Rot in timber frames: Check for the tell tale signs of wet timber or a white fungal growth.

5) Deterioration to flat roofs: Flat roofs should be checked twice a year for standing water, vegetation and the lifting / racking of joints.

6) Japanese Knotweed: Keep an eye out for th distinctive large heart shaped leaves. Be aware though that it changes its appearance through the year.

Do you suspect you have a damp problem?

If you think you have a damp issue at home the best advice is to have it checked out sooner rather than later by a qualified damp surveyor who will be able to identify the nature of the damp problem (be it penetrating damp, dampness caused by condensation or rising damp) and advise on the best course of action to remedy the problem. To arrange a damp survey simply complete our online damp survey request form or call your local Timberwise office on 0800 288 8661 who will be delighted to help you further.

One of the most common forms of dampness that people come across is penetrating damp. Penetrating dampness is usually caused by the movement of water through the walls from the outside of the building. Generally it tends to affect older buildings but not exclusively.

The causes of penetrating damp

There are 2 main causes of penetrating damp problems in buildings – Lateral penetrating damp and building defects.

Lateral penetrating damp

This is caused when the external ground against the wall is above the internal floor level.

Penetrating damp from building defects

There are many issues that fit into this category. Defective roof coverings, poorly fitted windows and door frames, cracked brick work and faulty guttering and downpipes (as can be seen in our photo!). For more photos of dampness check out our Timberwise Facebook page.

Identifying penetrating damp

There are a number of tell tales signs to help property owners determine if they have a penetrating damp problem. These signs include:

- Damage to internal decoration

- Damage to plaster work

- Signs of wet rot and decay on skirting boards and floor timbers

- Localised damp patches. Random patches of damp and varying heights that show no signs of drying out.

- Mould growth. Normally accompanied with a must smell and spoilt internal decorations. (Mould can be removed with a mould removal kit)

Tips to prevent penetrating damp

The following tips are designed to give a little guidance on what to look for is you suspect a penetrating damp problem.

- Check Downpipes, gutters, flashing, rendering and window frames for sign of damage.

- Downpipes should always be clear to allow good water flow.

- Replace any damaged guttering.

- If the rendering is cracked as well as re-sealing any gaps that may be evident around window frames.

- Check window sills and in particular the drip groove. This is designed to shed rain water prior to it reaching the house wall. Any dirt of forms of blockage on the drip groove need to be removed.

Further penetrating damp help

Should you require advice call your local Timberwise office on 0800 288 8660 to arrange a damp survey or complete our on-line dampness survey request form. Our surveyor will visit the property at a time convenient to you and give an experts opinion on how to solve your damp problem.

When a Dorset pub / brewery chain realised they had a problem with damp penetration to one of their pub / restaurants they called upon their local Timberwise team at Timberwise Sherborne to provide the solution.

The Granary, Dorset

The penetrating damp problem

The period, brick built, former granary located on the River Frome in Dorset and overlooking the Purbeck Hills suffered from intermittent damp penetration to the gable (river facing) wall, during adverse weather conditions, resulting in internal damp staining adjacent to window and door openings and water dripping from the window heads.

The main building has walls of 450mm solid brick, although the main river facing gable had been replaced many years ago with a wall of cavity construction, formed using extremely porous bricks on a lime bedding mortar.

Following our investigation it was established that the cavity trays fitted over the door and window openings were partially blocked and also unable to cope with the extent of water ingress. Water was also breaching the cavities elsewhere (acceptable) although moisture was building up in the base of the wall, as this wall was formed from the old foundations.

The Timberwise solution to penetrating damp

Options considered and discussed were to (1) render the wall, although destroying the aesthetic appearance of the overall building (2) rebuild, too disruptive and expensive or (3) apply an external coating to prevent lateral damp penetration and clean the cavity trays.

Now we at Timberwise are always cautious when recommending or using external silicone type coatings, as they can be very short term, but more importantly can change the visual appearance of the building, the most common problem being the glazing effect of the masonry caused by the silicone ingredients and to this point we would have probably decided against the use of these types of product.

However, Timberwise have been trialling a new product, which is a masonry protection cream which is breathable and when applied by brush or roller will penetrate to a greater depth than conventional liquid systems, thus its effectiveness will not be affected by the erosion of the masonry surface over time and will prevent rain penetration through the pores of the brickwork for many years to come.

Having undertaken our initial survey of the wall and carried out random Masonry Absorbency Testing (MAT) we put forward a proposal to undertake initial on-site trials with the product, which proved successful and was followed by a full application to the entire gable end of the building, including the cleaning and reforming of the cavity trays and weep holes.

Following completion of the works we can report that the Masonry Cream has penetrated deep into the external brickwork with no visual change of appearance to the wall and improving the thermal efficiency of the masonry by keeping it dry.

Drinks all round to a job well done! The pictures below shows the work we carried out.

Masononry absorbency testing being undertaken

One of the test areas 1 hour after application of penetrating damp cream

The same test area 4 weeks following full application with no visual change to the walls appearance

Carefully cutting in around the pubs painted banner

What should I do if I think I have penetrating damp?

Dont panic is the first thing! Timberwise are experts is finding solutions to damp problems big and small be it penetrating damp, rising damp or condensation. To speak to your local team call 0800 288 8660 or to arrange a visit from one of our surveyors simply complete our on-line damp survey request form and we’ll contact you to arrange the survey.

Here we have a photo case study from one of our surveyors that highlights the dangers of ignoring leaking bath and shower seals. An insurance company contacted Timberwise Cheltenham to visit a property that showed signs of dampness and fungal decay.

From the initial survey it was very apparent that the water leak had on-going for some considerable time (between 6 and 9 months) which had allowed plenty of time for problems to occur behind the scenes. Damage had taken place to the master bedroom floor, bathroom floor and landing floor as well at the kitchen ceiling below. Wet rot was found in parts of the property as a direct result of the water ingress allowed by the faulty bath seal. The Wet rot known as Coniophora puteana is one of the most common forms of decay found in the UK and occurs when wood has become soaked through water leakage.

All the Wet rot infected timbers were replaced and precautionary treatments applied to the remain timbers. The pictures below show the devastation that was caused:

With the bath removed the damage caused by the Wet rot is clear to see. Black mould can also be seen on the wall.

The chipboard floor has lost any strength it had as a result of the water damage.

The landing floor is ruined as is the plasterboard partition. More black spot mould can also be seen.

What should you do if you suspect a leaking bath / shower seal?

Ideally you must sort the seal out as soon as possible to avoid a water ingress and Wet rot problem as seen in the photos above. To help, below is a handy video showing the correct way to seal a bath to make sure that you stay leak free!

Do you have a Wet rot problem?

If you suspect Wet rot in your property don’t panic! Timberwise are experts in treating properties that have been subjected to dampness and Wet rot. To arrange a survey from one of our timber surveyors simply complete our on-line survey request form of call your local Timberwise office on 0800 288 8660.