Hi, I’m looking for a some advice. As a single female living on her own, I’m wanting to avoid being fobbed off or stitched up.
A bit of info. My house in a terrace, built in the 1830’s, and yes, I know, I will definitely be prone to damp!
The house was gutted before I moved in and renovated. They moved out 3/4 years later.
I noticed in my fireplace recess, there was salting and paint coming off above the skirting board and a bit of bubbling on the right cheek on the fireplace above the skirting (It a gas log burner effect fire in the recess). Looking back, I should have just left it as it was ♀ As you can see from the photo at the bottom of this post, it was minor.
I had a survey and got a damp proof course done on it in April 2021 on the inside and 2 front cheeks of it. They used the vertical damp proof membrane plaster system.
By August, this had appeared on the front right cheek (see where I drew the pencil like it and expanded!) this was quiet alarming as before I had any work done, i didn’t have patches like this.
So they came back out in September to re do both front sides of my fireplace.
It’s now July and I’ve noticed another blob appearing in a similar area to last time (above the high tide mark at the bottom of the wall.
I loosely drew that pencil line around it last Sunday 24th July and it has expanded.
I contacted the sub contractor who works for the company and came to re do the front sides and he just told me to put stain blocker paint on it and said because it’s an old house, it’s expected.
Why is it appearing when it wasn’t there before I had the work done?!
So I sent photos to the company and they then spoke to the sub contractor and said it’s due to the age of the property and humidity.
So why didn’t these spots appear while I was living there 2 years before the work was done?! Why are they appearing now AFTER the damp proofing?!
They asked asked me if I had followed out the other works they suggested I do when I had my survey. Such as stop drying clothes in the house (I have a tumble drier in an outhouse anyway) they suggested installing an efficient extractor in the bathroom upstairs (I have done and had a roofer put a vent in my roof as it turns out the previous owners had allowed the extractor to just blow out of the tubing into the loft with nowhere to go) and the survey also suggested that i install an extractor fan in my kitchen wall as they are better than over hoods. I admit, I haven’t done this.
So, I’m not sure what to say to them. If I tell them I have only carried out the works in the bathroom, they’re going to actively say it’s my problem and not their damp proofing.
They said I can have a survey come out, but it will cost £75.
Sorry for waffling… can anyone help?!
Thank you
FYI I’m in Yorkshire.
A bit of info. My house in a terrace, built in the 1830’s, and yes, I know, I will definitely be prone to damp!
The house was gutted before I moved in and renovated. They moved out 3/4 years later.
I noticed in my fireplace recess, there was salting and paint coming off above the skirting board and a bit of bubbling on the right cheek on the fireplace above the skirting (It a gas log burner effect fire in the recess). Looking back, I should have just left it as it was ♀ As you can see from the photo at the bottom of this post, it was minor.
I had a survey and got a damp proof course done on it in April 2021 on the inside and 2 front cheeks of it. They used the vertical damp proof membrane plaster system.
By August, this had appeared on the front right cheek (see where I drew the pencil like it and expanded!) this was quiet alarming as before I had any work done, i didn’t have patches like this.
So they came back out in September to re do both front sides of my fireplace.
It’s now July and I’ve noticed another blob appearing in a similar area to last time (above the high tide mark at the bottom of the wall.
I loosely drew that pencil line around it last Sunday 24th July and it has expanded.
I contacted the sub contractor who works for the company and came to re do the front sides and he just told me to put stain blocker paint on it and said because it’s an old house, it’s expected.
Why is it appearing when it wasn’t there before I had the work done?!
So I sent photos to the company and they then spoke to the sub contractor and said it’s due to the age of the property and humidity.
So why didn’t these spots appear while I was living there 2 years before the work was done?! Why are they appearing now AFTER the damp proofing?!
They asked asked me if I had followed out the other works they suggested I do when I had my survey. Such as stop drying clothes in the house (I have a tumble drier in an outhouse anyway) they suggested installing an efficient extractor in the bathroom upstairs (I have done and had a roofer put a vent in my roof as it turns out the previous owners had allowed the extractor to just blow out of the tubing into the loft with nowhere to go) and the survey also suggested that i install an extractor fan in my kitchen wall as they are better than over hoods. I admit, I haven’t done this.
So, I’m not sure what to say to them. If I tell them I have only carried out the works in the bathroom, they’re going to actively say it’s my problem and not their damp proofing.
They said I can have a survey come out, but it will cost £75.
Sorry for waffling… can anyone help?!
Thank you
FYI I’m in Yorkshire.
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