How to choose a dpc specialist

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hardya1

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We have had a dpc solution provided in the same places twice and damp is now reappearing for the third time in the space of 15 years. The previous two times the work was guaranteed but the guarantees are worthless.

I have found 5 local damp specialists. I have managed to get 3 to visit and each provides a different diagnosis and a different solution, including as far as X is 100% the case to X is 100% not the case. All say the work is guaranteed.. I have also spoken to a relative who is a long term professional roofer and very interested in preventing the "sources" of damp.

None of these are able to explain their diagnosis and solution to me in a way that I understand. Though I know little about damp, I am an intelligent person. We need to decorate asap but cannot until the damp is rectified.

What is the best strategy as a lay person to select the right damp solution business and suggested solution? Price? Size of company? Most professional "sounding"?

Help!

Any advice would be appreciated. Willing to follow up with any detail which may be relevant.

Thank you.

Andrew
 
hardya said:
We have had a dpc solution provided in the same places twice and damp is now reappearing for the third time in the space of 15 years. The previous two times the work was guaranteed but the guarantees are worthless.

I have found 5 local damp specialists. I have managed to get 3 to visit and each provides a different diagnosis and a different solution, including as far as X is 100% the case to X is 100% not the case. All say the work is guaranteed.. I have also spoken to a relative who is a long term professional roofer and very interested in preventing the "sources" of damp.

None of these are able to explain their diagnosis and solution to me in a way that I understand. Though I know little about damp, I am an intelligent person. We need to decorate asap but cannot until the damp is rectified.

What is the best strategy as a lay person to select the right damp solution business and suggested solution? Price? Size of company? Most professional "sounding"?

Help!

Any advice would be appreciated. Willing to follow up with any detail which may be relevant.

Thank you.

Andrew
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National firms will rape you, small businesses won't be able to afford to give warranty away as such other than on the workmanship. So there you go.
Get an independent surveyor in, pay him well, he might be able to pinpoint the problem and the course of action
 
hardya said:
We have had a dpc solution provided in the same places twice and damp is now reappearing for the third time in the space of 15 years. The previous two times the work was guaranteed but the guarantees are worthless.

I have found 5 local damp specialists. I have managed to get 3 to visit and each provides a different diagnosis and a different solution, including as far as X is 100% the case to X is 100% not the case. All say the work is guaranteed.. I have also spoken to a relative who is a long term professional roofer and very interested in preventing the "sources" of damp.

None of these are able to explain their diagnosis and solution to me in a way that I understand. Though I know little about damp, I am an intelligent person. We need to decorate asap but cannot until the damp is rectified.

What is the best strategy as a lay person to select the right damp solution business and suggested solution? Price? Size of company? Most professional "sounding"?

Help!

Any advice would be appreciated. Willing to follow up with any detail which may be relevant.

Thank you.

Andrew
Click to expand...
Ok before we solve your problem let us know the three solutions and prices :) at a guess I would say one wants to inject, one wants to fit a new plastic dpc and the other wants to fit a membrane to the wall? Oh and the other two one would of suggested a blue brick method and the other may want to use cream lol
 
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flynnyman, yes, not exactly, but yes pretty much. I have no knowledge, but I have a strong impression that, either consciously or unconsciously, they all diagnose in line with their own product/service/expertise.

Danny, thanks, I appreciate that. I have outside photos already. I shall take inside ones and provide a summary of each diagnosis, over the next couple of days.
 
The properties (1910) are built on a slight hill. With your back to the road and walking down the shared drive way between two properties ours is to the right, down hill. The drive way looks like it has been reconcreted at some point without hacking back and so it's level looks raised. The property to the left looks like a lot of brick visible before floor level, ours to the right looks like less brick than I would expect before floor level.

As you walk down the drive for our property on the right you pass the outside wall for the following; living room alcove 1, working chimney stack, living room alcove 2, utility room wall, kitchen alcove 1 (hidden by cupboards), stack - taken down / capped, kitchen alcove 2.

Internally damp can be seen and measured:

1) on living room alcove 2. There is a very concentrated line of damp at about 3 feet (roughly the same height as the previous replastering and also roughly the same height as a line of (possibly damaged) "sideways" bricks (seen at periodic heights for non-cavity walls) , significant generalised damp below this and a little above this receeding with height.

2) in the kitchen on alcove 2, generalised damp up to about 4 feet. Wheelie bins were kept behind this wall.

For both walls, dpc 1995 (guaranteed) under grant. We bought the house 2001 and the damp had reappeared and was done again (guaranteed) as a condition of the mortgage before we moved in. The damp had reappeared by about 2010, but though we had people come and look then, we had no funds to address it till now. More people have come to look recently. The previous 2 guarantees were printed materials guarantees issued by the materials manufacturer to contractors registered with them, with the name and signature of the contractor for the work guarantee. Both previous contractors are no longer registered with the manufacturer and cannot be traced at their past registered addresses.

Over the next few days, I shall provide photos followed by diagnosis and solutions proposed by the 3 dp businesses (anonomised) and the opinions given by the roofer, etc etc.

Thank you so much, I do appreciate your interest.

Andrew
 
gps said:
Can you post up some pictures of said damp ?[/QUOTE
I'm gonna guess at it being a ground water/earth level problem. I'm thinking that as there's a hill involved, water is daring naturally towards the dwelling. Perhaps the paved levels have risen over time and the run off has been encouraged nearer the house. ........sooooo I'm gonna say....drainage.
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Alcoves? Sides of the chimney? Have the walls been dabbed with plasterboard? What major work have you had done over the last few years or prior to the damp returning? Rewire? Central heating? Decoration? New windows? Roof? Facias and guttering? Insulation? Tree removals? External work? Just a start :)
 
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I have information / advice / written material from 4 businesses (2 never responded to my repeat requests for a call back) cold only find 6 which looked promising.
 
flynnyman said:
Alcoves? Sides of the chimney? Have the walls been dabbed with plasterboard? What major work have you had done over the last few years or prior to the damp returning? Rewire? Central heating? Decoration? New windows? Roof? Facias and guttering? Insulation? Tree removals? External work? Just a start :)
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  • yes, alcoves, yes sides of chimney, etc, see info above hardya, Jun 13, 2017
  • No plasterboard.
  • No major work done, living room: papered 2001 after moving in, radiator on opposite wall 2001. Kitchen painted, radiator on opposite wall 2001.
  • Nothing else
 
I would be carefully cutting brick out on outside and making access to problem area then if it's penetrating it will show and reinstate with original brick even if you break one or two you be able to get them from secondhand salvage or get a few from neighbouring properties
 
Is the chimney vented? What does that mean? It has a gas fire in it. It was tested, I don't think it has a tube going up through it. The damp plaster doesn't seem particularly hollow.

Regarding cutting brick out, I'm not sure this is something I could do, no idea where to get replacement brick or how to get off neighbors or how to recognize if damp. Would any of the contractors do it for me? One of them says already 100% it is NOT penetrative damp the other says it 100% IS penetrative damp, but no need to do anything as the internal membrane would stop it showing.

Which contractor do you think I should go with? I kind of need to get this done. If I simply make a random decision, what are the risks? Will the insurance cover against what I see reoccurring or only against what THEY SAY is the cause that they are doing the work against and that any nonoccurrence that looked the same could be diagnosed to a different cause to what their work addressed and therefore not covered? I wonder if going with a large national firm would be better at least for insurance even if the work goes wrong.

Responsive and easy to talk to contractors who do this kind of thing seem to be in a huge minority.

Thank you I do appreciate the advice.

If it's all still vague I think I will probably just pray and go with what I think God is saying.
 
hardya said:
Is the chimney vented? What does that mean? It has a gas fire in it. It was tested, I don't think it has a tube going up through it. The damp plaster doesn't seem particularly hollow.

Regarding cutting brick out, I'm not sure this is something I could do, no idea where to get replacement brick or how to get off neighbors or how to recognize if damp. Would any of the contractors do it for me? One of them says already 100% it is NOT penetrative damp the other says it 100% IS penetrative damp, but no need to do anything as the internal membrane would stop it showing.

Which contractor do you think I should go with? I kind of need to get this done. If I simply make a random decision, what are the risks? Will the insurance cover against what I see reoccurring or only against what THEY SAY is the cause that they are doing the work against and that any nonoccurrence that looked the same could be diagnosed to a different cause to what their work addressed and therefore not covered? I wonder if going with a large national firm would be better at least for insurance even if the work goes wrong.

Responsive and easy to talk to contractors who do this kind of thing seem to be in a huge minority.

Thank you I do appreciate the advice.

If it's all still vague I think I will probably just pray and go with what I think God is saying.
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@flynnyman is your guy
 
hardya said:
Is the chimney vented? What does that mean? It has a gas fire in it. It was tested, I don't think it has a tube going up through it. The damp plaster doesn't seem particularly hollow.

Regarding cutting brick out, I'm not sure this is something I could do, no idea where to get replacement brick or how to get off neighbors or how to recognize if damp. Would any of the contractors do it for me? One of them says already 100% it is NOT penetrative damp the other says it 100% IS penetrative damp, but no need to do anything as the internal membrane would stop it showing.

Which contractor do you think I should go with? I kind of need to get this done. If I simply make a random decision, what are the risks? Will the insurance cover against what I see reoccurring or only against what THEY SAY is the cause that they are doing the work against and that any nonoccurrence that looked the same could be diagnosed to a different cause to what their work addressed and therefore not covered? I wonder if going with a large national firm would be better at least for insurance even if the work goes wrong.

Responsive and easy to talk to contractors who do this kind of thing seem to be in a huge minority.

Thank you I do appreciate the advice.

If it's all still vague I think I will probably just pray and go with what I think God is saying.
Click to expand...
You could just go with the bloke who had on say......a hat.......or the best shirt....or something else.......it's that much of a lottery.
 
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