Damp isn't a diagnosis, it's a symptom. Water is getting somewhere it should not, or it can no longer get out the way it used to, and the stain on the plasterwork is only where the story surfaces.
Most free damp surveys are carried out by companies that sell damp-proofing, and their conclusions tend, unsurprisingly, toward damp-proofing. I sell no treatments and take no commission from anyone who does. An independent survey starts from the other end: read the building, find the route the water takes, and only then talk about remedy.
Why the diagnosis usually matters more than the cure
Damp in a house comes down to one of three mechanisms, and sometimes more than one at once.
- Penetrating damp is water coming in from outside through the fabric: a blocked gutter, a cracked downpipe, a slipped tile, failed flashing, decayed pointing, or ground built up above the internal floor level. It shows as a localised patch that tracks back to a specific defect, and it gets worse after driving rain.
- Condensation is moisture already inside the house turning back to water on a cold surface. It collects behind furniture on outside walls, in unheated corners and in unventilated bathrooms, and it signs itself with black spot mould. It is a problem of heating, ventilation and moisture management, and often has nothing to do with the fabric at all.
- Rising damp is groundwater drawn up through the pores of a wall by capillary action, leaving a horizontal tide-mark near the base. It does occur. It is also heavily over-diagnosed.
A low-level tide-mark looks the same whichever of these produced it, and a hand-held damp meter cannot tell them apart: it responds to salts and surface moisture, and will read "damp" on a wall whose problem has nothing to do with groundwater. This is why so many houses are injected, tanked and re-plastered for a condition they never had, while the leaking gully that actually caused the stain goes on leaking.
What the investigation involves
I carry out a methodical inspection of the affected area and the fabric around it, inside and out: the external envelope above and around the damp, the ground levels, the rainwater goods, the wall construction and its finishes, the ventilation and heating pattern of the room, and the way the problem changes with the weather and the seasons. Where a plumbing leak or a hidden defect is the likely culprit, I say so and explain what confirming it would involve.
I am looking for the specific cause. Anyone can tell you a wall is wet.
What you get
I give you a plain-English account of what is happening and why: the mechanism identified, the evidence for it, and what should be done about it. Sometimes that means a repair. Often, in an old building, it means maintenance, breathability and a change to how the room is heated and ventilated, which is cheaper, kinder to the fabric and actually addressed to the cause.
When a damp survey is the right call
- A damp patch you want explained before you buy, or before you instruct works.
- A damp-proofing quote you want checked by someone with nothing to sell.
- A recurring problem that previous treatment has not fixed, where the cause was never established.
- "Further investigation recommended": a valuation or Level 2 (Homebuyer) report has flagged damp and left you to act on it.
If a building turns out to have several unrelated problems, a Level 3 (Building Survey) usually answers more for the money than a series of separate investigations. If that is the likely picture, I'll say so before you commit.
Fees
I quote each damp investigation individually. The fee depends on the nature of the problem, the access involved and the distance from North Norfolk. Use the form below and I'll come back with a fixed fee before you commit.
Common questions
Do you sell damp-proofing?
No. I sell no treatments, install nothing, and take no commission from anyone who does. The only thing I'm paid for is the diagnosis, which is what makes it worth having.
What does a damp survey cost in Norfolk?
I quote each damp investigation individually. The fee depends on the nature of the problem, how much of the building has to be looked at to establish the cause, the access involved, and the distance from North Norfolk. I'll give you a fixed fee before you commit.
I have been quoted for a damp-proof course. Should I get a second opinion?
If the quote came from the company that carried out the survey, yes. True rising damp is far rarer than the number of houses treated for it would suggest, and a hand-held damp meter cannot distinguish rising damp from penetrating damp, condensation or salts in old plaster. An independent investigation establishes which mechanism you actually have before you spend.
Is a damp meter reading a diagnosis?
No. A damp meter responds to salts and surface moisture, so it'll read "damp" on a wall whose problem has nothing to do with groundwater. It's one observation among many, and on its own it tells you very little about the cause.
Will chemical injection or tanking fix damp in an old house?
Often it will not, and frequently it makes things worse. Old buildings are built of permeable materials and are meant to let moisture move through and evaporate away. Injected courses, cement render and impermeable tanking trap that moisture in the wall, pushing it elsewhere and accelerating decay in timber and plaster.