What are the main signs of damp in a house that is up on the market apart from the smell?

Question

Me and partner have seen a house that we really like. The vendors accepted an offer but the sale collapsed because the new buyers thought the house was full of damp. What are the main signs, and how much would it roughly cost to get the house damp proof course done?

Answer 1

not all sources of damp are from the DPC it could be damp entering through the walls if the cavity has been breached, or through roof problems.

main signs
discolouration, discontinuities of colour
a chilly damp feeling (although quite often that is nothing more than the house ahsnt been heatred or ventilated)
wallpaper lifting or cracking .... although this can be a sign of (dodgy DIY). ifd the cracked paper is solid/firm then its NOT damp)
damp patrches on external walls, at or near floor level on walls, at or near joints int he upstairs ceilings
moulds & other fungal growths
excessive condensation
pooling of water on ground floor tiles, or a feeling of dampness on those tiles.
also look for changes in the plaster upto 1 metre above floor height

there is no way to know what it would cost to do a damp proof course... it depends enitrely on the size of house.

The one thing you can guarantee is that if you call a damp proofing company to look at it they will reccomend / find damp. Quite often the DPC may be fine.. its just the property hasnt been lived in.

consider getting an engineer to look at it.

one thing you could do is do the DPC yourself. DPC guarantees are just about worht less.. most guarantees are for the chemcials (whcih are very cheap.. its the labour cost that is the expensive bit.. you could quite happily install a new DPC yourself... it would take time but if you are on a tight budget and have the cash avavilable its a perfectly good option. Its not if you expect to resell the property in the near future.

Answer 2

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RE:
What are the main signs of damp in a house that is up on the market apart from the smell?
Me and partner have seen a house that we really like. The vendors accepted an offer but the sale collapsed because the new buyers thought the house was full of damp. What are the main signs, and how much would it roughly cost to get the house damp proof course done?

Answer 3

A big sign is the black or green mould growth around windows and skirting downstairs and in ceiling corners near an outside wall and windows upstairs. Obvious damp patches on the ceilings will be an indicator that water is coming through the roof. If you can borrow or buy a Protometer this can detect damp in walls. If there is a history of damp and perhaps a previous survey has highlighted the fact, then the vendors are duty bound and MUST tell you about it. They cannot hide known problems. So you need to ask them outright. If they say that there are no problems and your survey uncovers the damp then they could be liable for correction.
Be careful and listen to others as a survey could cost a great deal and then you may not want to buy. To redo or even add a damp course could cost as little as £500 to £3000. Depends on the scope of the work and the size of the house. Good luck.

Answer 4

I believe there are a few good ways to check for dampness in a house:

1. Look at the baseboards and/or crown moulding. Did the sellers replace it? Find out why. Was it only replaced in certain rooms? Find out why. Sometimes replacing the moulding is an easy coverup for areas where seepage was occuring.

2. What rooms have been repainted & why? Were certain walls repainted and others not? These can be signs of cover-up of stained walls from water damage.

3. Check the room/closet with the water heater. Sure, there's going to be some damage from moisture, but is it just limited to the immediate surrounding area? If the drywall is soft in that room, it could go to a larger moisture/water problem elsewhere in the house (or an insufficiently insulated water heater).

Good luck!

Answer 5

Signs Of Damp

Answer 6

Musty smell, discolouration on walls, possible mould on walls/ceilings.
Not sure how much it would cost to get it damp proofed, but if the damp is already their you're looking at lots more money that if it was for a purely preventative measure. Like as in, having to replaster and rebuild bits.
Best thing to do is get a survey done on the house, and if damp is found (and you and your partner want to fix it up yourselves), speak to the vendor about knocking money off the asking price to cover the costs (else the vendors wont be able to get a buyer!)

Answer 7

You could hire a de-humidifier for a few days. It sounds like you've got a chip board floor under the laminate. Chip board really stinks while it's wet. The smell should stop once the floor has dried thoroughly. Really, the best way to sort the problem is to lift the laminate let the floor dry and fit new laminate. Good luck.

Answer 8

Paint/ paper peeling off of the walls is often a good sign that there is a damp problem.

Answer 9

A boat outside

Answer 10

Stains on ceilings, walls. No drainage away from foundation. High humidity after a rain.