The hall area near the front door of the property was very exposed to the elements. The property owner was reporting multiple damp patches on the walls and large amounts of black mould growth around window and door frames. Damp expert Chris Debieux, the Director of Damp and Decay Direct Ltd, was called-in to survey the problem. He found that…

The contractors who carried-out the modifications to the building had attempted to provide some protection from the elements by constructing a second outer-leaf brick wall on the new gable end. However, these works had been finished to a poor standard. As a result, one of the interior walls (which used to be a party wall between terraced properties) had been…

This domestic semi-detached property is situated in the Sussex seaside town of Brighton. The house is a traditional brick build with solid walls double-skin walls and a render on the weather facing external wall.

The main living room area of the property was suffering from significant rising damp issues. Some parts of the wall were showing signs of salt contamination and the plaster was crumbling and blistering. After the initial survey was completed, it was evident that a ‘pressure injection’ type rising damp was carried out in the past, which had now failed.

This domestic terraced house in the seaside town of Bournemouth. The house is a traditional brick build with cavity walls and a render on the weather facing external wall.

This Victorian semi-detached residential property is located in the large seaside town of Brighton, East Sussex. The house was purchased a few years ago by the owners and has been undergoing general renovations.

This was a classic barn conversion project. The new owners wished to renovate the barn, upgrading it to provide a high standard of residential accommodation. The barn dates back to the late 18th Century and had previously been used for a number of agricultural purposes, including grain drying / storage and as a milking parlour. The barn was once part…

This section explains the correct way to treat rising damp

Calculations show that the overall risk of condensation is reduced when using the Dryzone Express Replastering System compared with traditional sand:cement replastering systems. However, when using this type of product, due consideration must be given to the overall design to minimise risk of condensation and the recommendations contained in BS 5250:2011 should be followed. 

Where walls are known to be excessively contaminated with hygroscopic salts (e.g. old barns, old kitchens, chimney flues, stables) then consideration should be given to tanking the walls using Vandex BB75 tanking slurry prior to replastering as added protection for the decorative surface. Alternatively the use of the Dryzone Express Replastering System should be considered. Where masonry is unstable, this…