Converting a Barn – Costly Mistakes
This article was written for those who seriously consider converting a barn, or those who intend to renovate or extend an already converted barn. We are surveyors and as such we often come in when there are problems with the building…
Insulating Challenge: Old Solid Masonry
Old stone cottages, churches, castles or tower houses, just to name a few examples, are known to have notoriously cold walls.One of the heads of Savills told me a few years ago that if we could crack the subject of…
Online Dampness Assessment
Nothing beats a hands-on professional dampness survey. However by answering a few questions we can quickly diagnose many problems and determine the most likely cause of your problems. Why wait? Give it a go, it will point you in the…
Diagnosing Dampness Problems – What Problems My Building Has?
When facing with dampness problems, the most common practical questions being asked are: What dampness problems my building has?How can I fix them?Diagnosing Dampness Problems - By Building AreaAlthough dampness in old buildings is a complex and comprehensive topic, we have…
Dampness Related Respiratory Illnesses in Old Buildings
Health consequences of living in a damp building, especially dampness related respiratory problems, are a hot topic nowadays and for a good reason. This kind of a problem is more common than one would think, so I thought to share…
Rotting Joists – Diagnosis and Repair
An Old Farm House with Rotting JoistsWe have surveyed an old farm house, where the floor was already taken up and the joists were getting replaced. The client was facing a very common problem: rotting joists.It is easy to see…
Potential Reasons Behind the Decay of Old Walls
While doing a dampness survey the other day on an old farm building I noticed that under the windows the stonework is much more "worn" than in other parts. This made me thinking a bit on why this might be…
Residential Building with Cellar
Here is a typical 150 year old, Victorian end-terrace house. The lady owner had some dampness problems in the cellar which she used as a gardening shed. We have done a full survey of the building and here are the…
Survey: Semi-Basement Flat
The current owners of this semi-basement London flat have purchased the property about a year ago. Shortly thereafter some damp patches and flaking of the paint started to show in the hallway and master bedroom. They contacted us for a…
Moisture in Old Buildings
Buildings are subject to several sources of moisture from both inside and outside - the main moisture source being the environment. Depending on a number of factors - such as age, condition of the building fabric, various environmental factors etc.…
How to Speed Up the Drying of a Flooded Building?
Survey: Victorian Terraced Home
This building is from 1898 and it has been just purchased by a new owner, a building "enthusiast" who intended to refurbish it as part of a DIY project. The owner has just stripped the walls by removing all wallpapers and…
Survey: Farm House
The owner of this 200 year old farm house contacted us because the building had two chemical injections during the past 10 years yet the dampness problem has not been resolved.We have done a detailed survey of the building and…
Diagnosing Dampness – Tools & Methodologies
There are many tools that can assist one diagnosing dampness problems - some of them simple, others more sophisticated. Here are the most common ones we use on a daily basis:1. ObservationObservation - especially if paired with considerable expertise and…