Client: Domestic
Timberwise has acted on behalf of our client, a homeowner in Worcester, with the planned restoration of a 1900s cottage. Our client required a thorough survey to diagnose the extent of several concerns within the property, including decayed masonry, condensation, penetrating damp, insect infestations, and decay associated with both wet rot and dry rot.
The property was of a solid brick construction and was unoccupied and unfurnished at the time of the survey. The weather was overcast and wet, but warm (around 23oC).
Challenges
Although the property was vacant at the time of our surveyor’s visit, some of the remaining in-built features restricted complete access to parts of the building. Most areas of the building were accessible, but areas of the property including solid floors, tiled walls or wood panelling could not allow for a full investigation. Regardless, our surveyor was able to investigate the extent of the property’s condition with a high degree of accuracy.
External Observations
Prior to our surveyor’s inspection, it was apparent that the property had been left in a state of disrepair for some time. Several issues were noted with the property’s roof, including slipped or missing tiles and faulty guttering. The rear elevation also showed signs of both spalled brickwork and cracking, indicating structural defects that would need to be repaired imminently.
However, the biggest issues indicated the presence of severe damp within the property. Heavy algae growth on the chimney stack, a dilapidated lean-to, and damp staining around the outer walls all indicated the presence of moisture within the property.
Our surveyor also noted that the ground level outside the property was not consistent with the internal floor level, or the existing damp proof course, most likely due to the addition of new pathways and flowerbeds next to the exterior walls. This was further corroborated by the lack of any visible air bricks. This, combined with the factors above, suggested the high likelihood of penetrating damp having some effect on the internal structure of the property.
Penetrating Damp Concerns
Penetrating damp is the result of moisture building up over time in the external walls of a building. This is often found where there is a defect in the external wall, for example from damaged guttering, cracked render, or faulty roof fabric. These defects allow water into the wall, bypassing any other protections such as a damp-proof course. Over time, the increased moisture can damage existing brickwork and even appear visually inside the home as either moisture profiles or failing paint and plaster. Periods of heavy or constant rainfall can exacerbate these issues, and if left untreated can lead to problems such as wet rot or black mould.
You can find more information on penetrating damp, its causes and its prevention on our Penetrating Damp page.
Internal Observations
Inside the property, the full extent of the penetrating damp damage was revealed. Black spot mould was prevalent throughout the property, and combined with visible moisture profiles, indicated that the damp had taken hold and been present for some time. This was confirmed by humidity readings taken from a hygrometer, which were high throughout the property, but reached a staggering high of 62% humidity in the kitchen. An ideal humidity in the average home is between 40-55% (30-50% in winter) to prevent condensation from forming and creating the ideal habitat for black mould to thrive.
It was quite clear from these readings that the property had been damaged severely from cyclic damp, and despite sufficient passive ventilation to reduce the effects of condensation build-up, the lack of any extraction units in wet rooms, nor evidence of an electrical or central heating system, has contributed to the damp problems present within. Damp conditions during the cold winter months had caused distinct damage to the property, and despite the warm summer weather at the time of this survey, showed no signs of being easily rectified. Further readings taken by a conductivity meter further corroborated these findings, but with too many overlapping moisture sources identified during the inspection, a root cause could not be discerned, and so a thorough renovation of the property’s issues would have to be undertaken to make the home habitable again.
In addition to the damp concerns, woodworm infestations were abundant and thriving in the property. Evidence of both the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium Punctatum) and Wood Boring Beetle (Euophyrum Confine) was found in the timber ground floors, coated timber ceiling beams, staircase, first floor, and the main roof void. The prevalence of flight holes and bore dust in each of these areas indicates that several colonies were present within the property and would require treatment of the entire property to ensure they were eradicated effectively. More advice about woodworm is available on our Woodworm Treatment Services page.
Despite the concerns above, there was one silver lining. Despite the high-risk factors present elsewhere in the property, no evidence of wet rot decay or dry rot decay was found. Either case of rot could have made the renovations an even bigger project, but thankfully, the property avoided these problems this time.
Solutions
A quote from our surveyor puts the repair into perspective: “Making the property watertight is going to be the best remedial advice for this property”. It was recommended that several measures were put in place to combat the prevalent moisture ingress issues within the property.
To combat condensation, our surveyor recommended that ventilation be improved within the property, especially in rooms such as kitchens, utility spaces or bathrooms, where moisture can easily build up repeatedly. The installation of extraction fans was also recommended to reduce the presence of condensation, and when this is combined with adequate passive ventilation, it would create an environment that would allow moisture to escape the property readily. As the property is being renovated with the plan of remodelling the existing kitchen and bathrooms, these measures would tie in seamlessly with our client’s existing plan to modernise the property.
Regarding the timber fixtures within the property, our surveyor recommended the complete replacement of the suspended timber floor, as well as sandblasting the larger ceiling timbers to remove any paint coatings. Once completed, the client was advised to undertake a full property woodworm spray, ensuring that all infested areas of the building were treated and resolved prior to undertaking any further renovation or redecorating.
Our surveyor did not comment on the structural issues regarding the spalling or cracked brickwork but instead advised the client to seek out the additional opinion of a qualified building structural engineer to assess the repair of the exterior walls. They did however recommend that the dilapidated lean to be removed, and external flowerbeds and pathways be restored to their previous level to reduce the risk of penetrating damp reoccurring later. Once rectified, our surveyor highlighted that modern damp-proofing solutions such as membranes and a new DPC could be incorporated into the property, as well as new air bricks be installed to ensure adequate ventilation to the replaced timber floor.
Our surveyor also recommended (once any remediation concluded) that a drying period of no less than 6 months be observed, after which they would be happy to re-survey the property and re-diagnose any remaining issues that may have been masked by the larger structural concerns.
With a property requiring work of this scale, it is integral to ensure that all issues are identified and resolved prior to habitation in the property, as even some small concerns can grow into larger problems down the line, especially in buildings of this age.
Results
Thanks to our surveyor’s thorough and attentive investigation of the property, Timberwise provided the client with an action plan to ensure the ideal rejuvenation strategy for the property.
Though this is a massive undertaking for both the client and Timberwise, our expertise in building restoration, damp proofing and infestation control places us in a unique position to assist our client in carrying out the restoration of the property. Our client was satisfied with the advice provided in our report and is planning to begin work shortly on restoring the property to its former condition.
Do You Want Need with a Damp Solution?
Our dedicated and experienced team in Birmingham are ready to talk to you about your options for property preservation. Don’t hesitate to call us on 0121 412 9315, or you can request a survey online.
