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Damp proofing in Bromley: an independent survey first

Bromley has larger houses on larger plots than most of London: Edwardian villas in Beckenham and Shortlands, interwar semis across Petts Wood, Orpington and West Wickham, and older cottages in Chislehurst and the villages. Very little of the damp we survey here starts at the wall it appears on, which is why damp proofing quotes in the borough deserve a second look. ATi carries out no remedial work.

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Why the survey comes before damp proofing in Bromley

In Bromley the question is rarely whether a damp proof course has failed. It is who is responsible for the fault that is wetting the wall, and what will actually stop it. That might be a freeholder, a neighbour or a managing agent rather than you. An independent report answers both, and we carry out no remedial work, so the answer is not shaped by a sale.

The quotes we see most in Bromley are injection along the walls of interwar houses where drives, patios and raised beds have bridged the course, and damp proofing proposed for damp that is really coming from long gutter runs, valleys and downpipes overwhelmed by leaves from mature trees. Injecting the wall leaves both problems in place.

If you are a landlord in Bromley, remember that the hazard is the damp and mould, not the absence of a damp proof course. Removing the cause is what deals with it, and that is often ventilation, heating, rainwater or a leak. If you are buying, a report before exchange tells you whether a damp proofing recommendation in the homebuyer survey is justified, and what the honest scope of work is.

What the different damp proofing treatments are for

Injection is meant for rising damp in a wall with no working course. Tanking and cavity drain membranes are for below ground walls, which in Bromley usually means a lower ground floor or a cellar. Salt resistant replastering deals with contamination left by long term damp. Ventilation and heating deal with condensation. Each is valid for its own fault and useless for the others.

London's solid walled terraces were built to breathe. Sealing one with cement render or tanking above ground tends to push moisture somewhere else in the building, frequently into the flat next door or the floor above.

Bromley walls, and what they actually need

Interwar houses have cavity walls with working courses that need keeping clear. Edwardian villas have solid or early cavity walls, large roofs and many rainwater goods that need maintaining. Chislehurst cottages need lime and breathability. None of these routinely needs a new damp proof course.

  • Clearing and maintaining gutters, valleys and downpipes under mature trees
  • Lowering drives, patios and raised beds that bridge the damp proof course
  • Reopening airbricks under suspended timber floors
  • Lime repairs on older cottages in Chislehurst and the villages

Trees, gutters and clay

Mature trees are one of the pleasures of Bromley and one of the main sources of damp. Leaves and seed cases block gutters, hoppers and valley gutters every autumn, and overflowing water runs down the wall for months before anyone notices. The damp appears inside as a patch below the overflow, often at first floor level, and it is regularly misread.

Large trees on clay also take water from the ground and can affect foundations and drains. A cracked drain beside a house can keep one section of wall wet, and the survey looks for that pattern.

The right order for damp proofing work

  • Establish the cause independently
  • Resolve anything the freeholder or a neighbour is responsible for
  • Fix water entry and ground level faults, then allow the wall to dry
  • Only then specify internal works in the Bromley flat or house, in materials that suit solid walls
  • Check that ventilation and heating allow the wall to stay dry
  • Keep the diagnosis and the guarantee together for the conveyancing file

Warning signs in a damp proofing quote

  • Rising damp diagnosed on an upper floor, or on a party wall with no ground contact
  • No inspection of the lightwell, front area, rear yard or parapet
  • A blanket timber treatment added to a damp quote
  • A guarantee that does not say which walls, or what happens if the cause was elsewhere
  • A price for a Bromley terrace with no reference to its solid walls or its lime plaster
  • Pressure to agree before a buyer's or lender's deadline

When a damp proof course is the right answer

We are not opposed to damp proofing, only to it being sold as the answer before the question has been asked. Where the readings, the pattern and the building all point to a missing or failed course in a Bromley property, the report recommends one and says how it should be done.

The survey fee is published and fixed before the visit. In Bromley, where replastering and making good in a period flat is expensive and disruptive, establishing whether the work is needed before it starts is the economical step.

The report gives you the cause, the responsibility and a specification. In Bromley that often means a letter to a freeholder or managing agent with the evidence attached, before any work inside the flat is considered.

For the full picture of what a survey here involves, see damp surveys in Bromley.

Around Bromley

Beckenham and Shortlands

Edwardian villas and interwar houses with big roofs and mature gardens. Rainwater and bridging dominate.

Petts Wood, Orpington and Chislehurst

Interwar suburbs and older village cores. Drives, patios and lime repairs on the older houses.

What customers say on Google

Professional friendly service. Highly recommended

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Excellent, came around on the same day, found the issue and gave advice through the process

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Damp proofing questions in Bromley

Does our Petts Wood semi need a new damp proof course?

Rarely. Interwar houses in Petts Wood, Orpington and West Wickham usually have working courses. Low level damp is most often from a drive, patio or flower bed laid above the course, or from an extension built across airbricks. Those are fixed at the ground or at the junction, not by injecting the wall.

Damp has appeared high on our wall in Beckenham. Is that damp proofing?

No. Damp at first floor level or higher is almost always rainwater: a blocked gutter, hopper or valley, often under mature trees, or a failed flashing. The survey traces the water to its source so a roofer or gutter specialist can deal with it.

Our Chislehurst cottage has damp walls. Should we inject?

Older cottages in Chislehurst and the villages were built with lime and often without a course. They stay dry with lime pointing and plaster, low ground and sound rainwater goods. Injection and dense plaster often make them worse.

Could a cracked drain cause damp?

Yes. On clay, and near large trees, drains can crack and leak, keeping the ground wet beside one section of wall. The damp shows as a sharp, localised patch. The report recommends a drain survey where the pattern fits.

Can you check a damp proofing quote?

Yes. Send it with your request and we will report on which parts match what we find.

Do you carry out any work?

No. ATi surveys and reports only, so the report has nothing to sell.

Can you recommend a damp proofing company in Bromley?

We do not refer work or take commission, which keeps the report independent. What we give you instead is a specification precise enough that any competent contractor can price it, and we are happy to read the quotes you receive against it.

Nearby

Book a survey before you pay for damp proofing

An independent survey before any damp proofing in Bromley. We do no remedial work. Written report within 24 hours.

Request a Survey or call 020 3355 4944