floor/damp work required after survey

[druncula]

Morning all,

Ive just had the pre-lim report back from a building survey on a 2 bed semi from 1880 im buying. All in all its ok with the house being structually sound, however, there is one thing of note and i would appreciate some help in understanding what the following actually means..

"Other points relate to the dampness and the floor. The property has excessive moisture levels throughout. The ground floor is suspended timber. It is also excessively 'springy'. These two factors together are rather worrying and deserve further investigation. There is a bridged dpc and inadequate sub-floor ventilation. All of this together is unacceptable. Worst case scenerio is a severe hidden timber decay such as dry rot. If nothing else, the floor needs strengthening to take out the spring. The only way to answer this is to have a few sections up and expose it. You should get this done. The walls will require damp-proofing. You should obtain quotations from one of the specialist timber treatment and damp-proofing companies"

I understand that the survey report will be forthcoming and will explain in more detail, but i just wanted to see if anybody could give a real life slant on the above.

many thanks

[Stuart Noble]

Both are usually pretty easy to correct. At worst you might need a couple of extra air bricks

All of this

Not too difficult. You may need to replace some joists.

You should get this done.

Almost certainly not if you deal with the bridged dpc and ventilation issues.

You should obtain quotations

Surveyors have a "thing" about damp proofing, which is often an expensive waste of time. Sort the basics out and it will probably be unnecessary. Still, if you can knock a few quid off the asking price, the surveyor will consider he's done his job.

[druncula]

Many Thanks Stuart! helped put my mind at rest.

Cheers John

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think that is fair comment.

At the least ..you might decide to go further and go for a solid insulated floor.

[Owain]

Surveyor used a damp meter. They're useless. Is the property unoccupied/unheated?

Unless there's a basement, there won't be too far to fall if the floor does give way. Probably one of the dwarf walls the joists sit on has lost a bit of mortar and needs packing up.

Bridged with what, and can you remove it?

Airbricks.

Can you smell rot?

Fair enough to a point, couldn't he stick a borescope through a knot-hole and have a peek - or do borescopes cost more than damp meters?

You should run away from most of the specialist timber treatment companies as fast as you can.

Fortunately for you he hasn't actually said that things *have* to be done, so it shouldn't affect your mortgage, but gives you some wiggle room with the vendor.

Owain

[druncula]

Thanks for the replies guys,

Owain in response to your questions ill try and answer as best i can.

The property is occupied by an old boy - 83 who is off to a home, he has old ali double glazing which i did notice condensation in the frames, and he has had the heating on to the max every time i have been in there

Thats true, didnt think of it like that!

Not got a clue! will find out when the survey arrives "proper"

There are already 2 out the front of the property, but going by the fashion for pebbledash on the road i would guess they are not the most effective airbricks.

Nope, just an old boy!

Again, thanks for the replies, it has helped.

[meow2222]

There is some in there that is bad advice, damp is routinely false positive diagnosed by surveyors, and in a property of that age they dont normally have a dpc, nor need one.

So I would take it with a pinch of salt.

However, the problem described is one that is sometimes found in old properties, and as correctly stated, if its as bad as it could be, a whole new floor structure might be needed. IOW it would be nice to know for real, instead of what is a questionable diagnosis and questionable recommendations.

Re excessive moisture, this is not unusual for old builds and can be corrected in many ways, all of which have nowt to do with dpcs and self-proclaimed damp treatment specialists. For more info these are the ones to ask:

[Cicero]

=============================== You might find that that missing window bay (your previous post) has something to do with the damp. It's possible that airbricks were removed when the bay was removed.

Cic.