Money saving case histories
Pre-purchase damp and timber surveys carried by Forest Dampbusters to
satisfy mortgage requirements
Mortgage lending is very tight nowadays and Building Society surveyors
always seem to err on the side of caution when there is the merest hint
of dampness or timber decay in properties that they survey. This applies
even more in a lot of properties in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley
where a lot of houses are stone built and do not lend themselves to the
more popular damp-proofing systems.
Most mortgage valuers simply use a moisture meter to defect dampness but
these meters are not accurate on plaster or brickwork and they often
give mis-leading readings and then surveys immediately recommend a
‘specialist damp report’. Forewarned that damp has been picked on a
mortgage survey these ‘free damp surveys’ ( which are really just
quotes) will regularly mis-diagnose rising damp and recommend chemical
damp-proofing which is unnecessary, expensive and disruptive. If there
is any damp it can usually be controlled in more cost effective,
environmentally friendly ways.
Green Street, Garden City, Chepstow, Gwent NP16 5DN (
March 2014)
Houses in the Hardwick/Garden City and Bulwark area of Chepstow were
built around 1920 and all of them have had a physical damp-proof course
fitted and despite what a lot of damp-proofing surveyors say these are
unlikely to break down and allow rising dampness to occur. Despite
knowing this a survey detected ‘rising damp’ on the front wall of the
house as part of a mortgage survey and recommended further
investigation. We found that the existing damp-course was intact and
still functioning and that the cause of the ‘rising damp’ was a leaking
gutter which had allowed rainwater to splashback off the ground and into
the base of the wall. Moisture then travels through the wall by
capillary action to appear as induced ‘rising damp’ internally. No
damp-proofing works were required and all that was needed was the
replacement of the defective gutter, saving our client the expense of
having unnecessary and expensive damp-proofing works carried out.
Parkend Road, Bream, Lydney GL15 6JZ (February 2014)
A brick built semi-detached house had an offer accepted and was surveyed
by the mortgage company and their report included the usual caveats
about dampness and timber decay. The estate agent had obtained a free
damp and timber survey from a Gloucester based damp-proofing and timber
treatment contractor who recommended chemical damp-proofing and
water-proof plastering works at an estimated cost of £3,500. Our client
asked us to carry out a damp survey and we found that there was no damp
no damp-proofing works were required. The first damp surveyor had relied
solely on the use of a moisture meter readings taken from the plaster
when it is a well-known fact that these meters are not accurate on
plaster and are only calibrated for use on timbers. We took readings
from timbers abutting potentially damp walls and the average moisture
content was less than 5%-indicating that the background wall is not
affected by damp. Our more reasoned survey report was accepted by the
lender and the mortgage was granted without the need for any
damp-proofing works and after allowing for survey fees and repair works
he saved over £3,300. Properties in this area of Bream have a physical
damp-proof course which was fitted at the time of construction (either
slate or bitumen/hessian) and these are still effective in controlling
rising damp.
Itton, Chepstow NP16 6BT ( January 2014)
The building survey on this detached stone cottage, which had originally
been the laundry for Itton Court, suspected that there was both rising
damp and penetrating damp on most of the external walls and recommended
a damp and timber survey . A Bristol based damp-proofing and timber
treatment company carried out a free damp and timber survey and opted
for the default recommendation a chemical damp-proof course together
with water-proof plastering to all the ground floor walls of the
property at a cost of around £7,500.00.
Our survey noted that most of the rising damp was due low-level moisture
ingress form raised ground levels which could easily be alleviated by
lowering the ground levels. The penetrating damp was due to leaking and
overflowing gutters and other rainwater goods and we recommended the
renewal of all gutters and downpipes. Our report was submitted to the
mortgage company and they accepted our findings and more holistic
approach to controlling dampness and granted a mortgage without any
retention for damp-proofing or timber treatments.
The repairs were carried out by a Chepstow based builder and cost less
that £1,500.00, saving our client over £6,000.00 and avoided
unnecessary, expensive and disruptive chemical damp-proofing and
plastering works
Walford Road, Ross on Wye HR9 5PY ( December 2013)
A mortgage survey on this semi-detached stone house detected both rising
damp and penetrating damp throughout most of the external walls of the
property and recommended further investigation . A Hereford based
damp-proofing and timber treatment company carried out a free survey and
not surprisingly they recommended chemical damp-proofing and water-proof
plastering to all ground floor walls at a cost of around £6,000.00.
Our survey noted that most walls were free from damp and only the
external walls were affected by rising damp and this was caused by
slightly raised ground levels which were allowing low-level water
ingress leading to induced ‘rising damp’ internally. Our report, which
stated that no damp-proofing works would be required and all that was
needed was the installation of a drainage channel on outside walls, was
submitted to the mortgage company and they agreed our findings and
granted a mortgage without any retention for damp-proofing or timber
treatments.
The repairs were carried out by a local builder and cost around
£1,200.00, saving our client over £4,800.00 which alleviated the rising
damp and also avoided unnecessary and disruptive chemical damp-proofing
and plastering works.
Union Road, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 7QB (
November 2013)
This detached 1960s bungalow was being a sold and the Building Society
surveyor for the buyer noted woodworm in the loft and a free quote was
obtained from a Bristol based damp-proofing and timber treatment company
who recommended woodworm treatment to the whole of the roof at a cost of
around £800.00. We surveyed the loft and found that the woodworm was not
active there was no justification for any chemical timber treatments.
Our report was submitted to the mortgage provider who accepted our
findings and agreed that there was no need for any preservative
treatments.
Woodvile Road, Cinderford GL14 2AY (October 2013)
A damp was required on this house as part of a mortgage application and
the estate agent arranged for a Gloucester based damp-proofing firm to
inspect the basement where there was some slight dampness. They then
recommended waterproof tanking to all the earth retaining walls at a
cost of over £5,000.00.
We inspected the basement and found that the dampness was not too severe
to warrant extensive treatments and all that was required was the
application of a waterproof tanking slurry on the affected area ( around
5-6m2 ) and no specialist works were needed.
Our report and recommendations were sent to the lender and the mortgage
was granted without any clauses for damp-proofing or tanking works.
St Johns Square, Cinderford GL14 3EY (August 2013)
Dampness was picked up on a mortgage survey and a free damp survey was
carried out by a Gloucester based damp-proofing and timber treatment
company they recommended the installation of a chemical damp-proof
course together with water-proof plastering to all the original outside
walls of the property at a cost of over £4,000.00.
We checked all the walls due for treatment and found that there was
virtually no dampness present as a new damp-course had been installed
around 20 year ago by Dean Forest Damp & Timber Treatment which was
working successfully and the only area of damp was due to water ponding
on a concrete base outside the kitchen which was causing moisture
ingress into the wall and induced rising damp internally. All that was
needed was the installation of a drainage channel at the base of the
wall to allow rainwater to run-off before it could be absorbed into the
wall. Our report was submitted to the mortgage company by the buyer of
house and a mortgage was granted without any clauses for damp-proofing
or timber treatments.
The repairs were not urgent and were later carried out by a builder from
Cinderford and cost around £400, saving our client over £3,600.00 and
avoided unnecessary and disruptive chemical damp-proofing and plastering
works
Whitebrook, Monmouth NP25 4TX ( April 2013)
The building survey on this detached stone house detected both rising
damp and penetrating damp throughout most of the external walls of the
property and recommended further investigation . A Hereford based
damp-proofing and timber treatment company carried out a free survey and
recommended the installation of a chemical damp-proof course together
with water-proof plastering to all the external walls of the property at
a cost of around £5,000.00.
Our survey noted that most of the rising damp was due high ground levels
which could be remedied by installing a physical damp proof membrane at
the base of the wall to stop further water ingress. The penetrating damp
was due to leaking gutters and downpipe and we recommended the
replacement of all the rainwater good. Our report was submitted to the
mortgage company and they accepted our findings and granted a mortgage
without any retention for damp-proofing or timber treatments.
The repairs were carried out by a local builder and cost less that
£1,000.00, saving our client over £4,000.00 and avoided unnecessary and
disruptive chemical damp-proofing and plastering works
Bath Place, Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 5RR( December
2012)
Our client was in the process of buying this semi-detached house just
opposite Lydney Boxing Club (who have now found a new home in the former
snooker club) and rising damp was flagged up in the mortgage survey. The
house had recently been renovated which had include damp-proofing and
timber treatment and was still under guarantee but the installing firm
had gone out of business and could not be traced . A Chepstow based
damp-proofing and timber treatment company carried out a free survey and
concluded that a new chemical damp-proof course was needed at a cost of
£2,000.00. Our survey found that the new chemical damp-proof course and
waterproof plastering system was effective and that the damp was due to
a leaking pipe, causing water to sit on the solid floor, leading to
‘rising damp’ in some walls. No damp-proofing works were required and
the defective pipe was easily repaired by a plumber for around £100.00.
Once the repairs had been carried out we were able to issue and new 20
year insured guarantee against the recurrence of rising damp or timber
decay and the mortgage was granted without any retention clauses.
Ruspidge Road, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 3AN (
December 2012)
This detached bungalow just opposite the football field in Ruspidge
needed a damp and timber survey as part of a part exchange deal with
Bloor Homes for our client to get anew house at the top of St Whites
Hill on the new development opposite the Mont Pleasant pub. The bungalow
was built in the 1960s and it was obvious that there was no sign of any
damp or timber decay but a report was still required which we provided
for Bloors which helped the part exchange process to be completed.
Boxbush Road, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 8DN (
October 2012)
This semi-detached house just opposite Raymond’s Stores in Coleford was
being renovated when the builder noticed woodworm in some of the
floorboards.A free quote was obtained from a Gloucester based
damp-proofing and timber treatment company and they recommended woodworm
treatment to the whole house at a cost of around £1,500.00. Our survey
found that most of the woodworm was not active and therefore there was
no justification to a lot of the recommended timber treatment. The only
area where we found active woodworm that needed treatment was in the
ground floor area which was carried out for less than £400.00. As we had
carried out a full timber survey we were able to issue a whole house
guarantee against the occurrence of any woodworm or fungal decay.
Station Road, Milkwall, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16
7LD ( September 2012)
Our client was in the process of buying this 1920s built bungalow just
down the road from the Tufthorn Inn and the mortgage survey said there
was dry rot and put a £5,000.00 retention until a damp and timber report
was carried out. We found that there had been an old leak from the
bathroom which had caused some minor wet rot in floorboards and
door-frame and this could easily be rectified by the replacement of the
decayed sections of timber without resorting to the use of chemical
treatments. The bank was happy with our report and lifted the retention
clause and our client was able to buy the house without the need for any
unnecessary damp-proofing or timber treatment.
Knights Hill Road, The Pludds, Ruardean,
Gloucestershire GL17 9UA ( August 2012)
This end of terrace stone built cottage had been left empty for a couple
of years and when it was sold the Building Society survey said it was
unmortgagable and put a 100% retention on the house until a damp and
timber survey was carried. We carried a damp and timber survey and were
able to prove that while the house was in a poor state of repair there
was no serious problem with regard to dampness and timber decay. The
mortgage company were happy with our findings and lifted the retention,
granted the mortgage and the sale of the house proceeded successfully.
Upper Road, Pillowell,Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 4RD
( August 2012)
The sale of this stone built cottage had previously fallen through when
a Gloucester based damp-proofing and timber treatment company carried a
‘free’ damp and timber survey and then diagnosed chemical damp-proofing
and waterproof plastering which would have cost over £10,000.00.
Injected damp-proof course are usually not suitable for stone built
properties as the damp-proofing fluid often just runs away in the rubble
infill and damp-proofing companies just rely on the waterproof render to
hold back any dampness. A better way to control rising damp is to remove
the moisture source externally and this is what we recommended in our
damp report and suggested the installation of a French Drain at the base
of the external walls. This was done for less than a quarter of the
price of a new chemical damp-course and also avoided the need for
hacking off all the plaster internally and both the vendor f the house
and the buyer were happy with this chemical free solution to combat
rising damp
Seaview, Sudbrook, Caldicot, GWENT NP26 5SU ( March
2012)
Not sure why this row of houses on Sudbrook Road is called Seaview as it
overlooks the old Paper Mill but probably sounds a bit more attractive
than PaperMill View. Dampness was detected in during a re-mortgage
survey and the mortgage provider asked for a damp survey. The broker
obtained a free survey from a Chepstow based damp-proofing and timber
treatment company who said that an injected damp-proof course was
required as well as waterproof plastering up to a metre high at an
approximate cost of £3,500.00.We found that these houses, which were
built around 1920-30, had a physical damp proof course installed when
they were built and the only damp we found was due to rainwater
splashback off timber decking. This could be easily fixed by trimming
back the decking from the wall allowing rainwater to run off and cost
less than £100 , saving our client well over £3,000.00 as well as
avoiding unnecessary and disruptive damp-proofing and re-plastering
works.
Malswick, Newent, GLOS GL18 1HF( February 2012)
This is a brick built cottage on the Gloucester Road between Newent and
Highnam and at the time of our damp and timber survey was a bit run down
and the new owner was going to renovate the house. Dampness and timber
decay had been noted in the survey carried out for the mortgage and the
estate agent arranged for a Ross-on Wye based damp-proofing and timber
treatment company who recommended the installation of a chemical
damp-proof course and water-proof plastering throughout at a cost of
around £5,000. We found although there was some evidence of damp that
the house was built with a physical damp-proof course and the ‘rising
damp’ was due to partial bridging of the damp-proof course which allowed
low-level moisture ingress at the base of the walls which then travels
through the brickwork by capillary action to appear as ring damp
internally. No damp-proofing works were required The only work that was
required was the reduction of the ground levels to prevent bridging of
the damp-proof course which was done during the course of renovation the
house and just cost a couple of days wages for a labourer.
Peterstow, Ross on Wye HR9 6JZ (
January 2012)
This is a stone built cottage just off the Hereford Road near the Yew
Tree Inn at Peterstow and dampness was noted during the mortgage survey.
A free survey was obtained from a Gloucester based damp-proofing and
timber treatment company who recommended the installation of a chemical
damp-proof course. We found that even though the house was built without
a physical damp-proof course there was no need for chemical
damp-proofing as the uptake of water could be reduced by the
installation of a French Drain at the base of the external walls. This
work was done at less than half the cost of chemical damp-proofing and
did not require any upheaval internally when plaster has to be replaced.
Folly Road, Parkend, Lydney GL15 4JF ( December 2011)
Our clients had just bought this detached stone built house overlooking
the green at Parkend and just a short walk form the Woodman pub. The
mortgage surveyor picked up dampness and requested that further
investigation be carried out. A Gloucester based damp-proofing and
timber treatment company diagnosed rising damp and specified the
insertion of a chemical damp-proof course together with specialist
replastering at a cost of around £6,000.00. Our survey forund that the
dampness was due to raised ground levels allowing moisture ingress at
the base of the wall which then migrates through the wall to appear as
‘rising damp’ internally. This was easily rectified by reducing ground
levels and installing a French Drain at the base of external walls which
was done at less than half the cost of the chemical damp-proofing that
had been recommended.
Buckholt, Monmouth , Gwent NP25
5RJ ( November 2011)
A mortgage survey picked up damp and timber decay in this stone built
cottage on the outskirts of Monmouth and a free survey/quote was
obtained by the Estate Agent from a Hereford based damp-proofing and
timber treatment company. They found dampness and timber decay and
recommended damp-proofing and timber treatment works for a total price
of around £8,000.00.
We found that the dampness was not to severe and had been caused by
external defects such as leaking gutters and downpipes and once these
were attended to the affected walls would dry out without resorting to
chemical damp-proofing. We also noted that there was some woodworm on
floorboards and in the roof timbers but this was not active and
therefore no justification for any chemical preservative treatments.
The report that we produced for the mortgage company was accepted and
out client obtained their mortgage without a retention. The repair works
that we suggested were undertaken by a local builder for less than a
tenth of the cost of the damp-proofing and timber treatments that had
been recommended.
Sandy Lane, Hewelsfield, St. Briavels GL15 6TY ( February 2011)
This is a stone built cottage overlooks the Wye Valley in an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty and was sold as a result of a re-possession
by previous lenders. The house had been empty for a few months and not
surprisingly dampness was picked up in some walls and the surveyor
recommended damp-proofing works at a cost of around £5,000. Our client
thought this was excessive and asked us to conduct a full damp survey.
We found that there was some penetrating damp on the front wall due to
its exposed position which could be rectified by repairing some pointing
externally and replacing defective sealants around doors and windows.
The total cost of this work was less than £500 so even after paying for
our survey he saved himself over £700.00 and the mortgage was granted
without a retention or the need for any damp-proofing works.
Rushyleaze, Lydney GL15 5QW ( January 2011)
A brick built semi detached house just along from where the Highland pub
used to be was sold and surveyed with the usual damp provisos. Our had
obtained a free quote from a Gloucester based damp-proofing and timber
treatment contractor who recommended chemical damp-proofing and
water-proof plastering works at an estimated cost of £3,500. Our client
asked us to carry out a damp survey and we found that most of the damp
was due to defective guttering and no damp-proofing works were required
and after allowing for survey fees and repair works he saved nearly
£3,000. Properties in this area of Lydney have a physical damp-proof
course which was fitted at the time of construction and these are
usually still effective in controlling rising damp.
English Bicknor, Coleford GL16 7PQ ( December 2010)
A stone built property which had fallen into disrepair but the surveyor
nevertheless found rising damp and recommended chemical damp-proofing
together with associated re-plastering works. The estate agent arranged
for a free survey which recommended the installation of a new damp-proof
course and water-proof plastering at a cost of £4,500. Our survey found
that the damp was due to roof and gutter leaks which could be fixed
during planned renovations so after paying for our survey we saved our
client over £4,250.00.
The message is then don’t rely on so-called free surveys as you will
pay dearly in the long run.
Please call us on 01594 837300 or email us at enquiries@forest-dampbusters.co.uk for further information. You can also request a survey online.