Basement rooms

[Nicky G]

Hi

I'm in the process of buying a Georgian terrace in E1 (london) and the survey has recommended that the basement rooms (originally the kitchen, but now the bedroom) are tanked as there is extensive damp.

I'm currently trying to get some quotes for how much this work would cost, but as I have no experience of this, I don't want to get stung for work which won't fix the problem or cost a fortune!

The front and back walls are not earth-retaining as there is a little under-the-pavement room out the front which can only be accessed by a door from the bedroom (which doesn't fit well, but I'm planning to replace) and the side walls are part of the terrace. Both rooms also have windows. From what I've read about tanking, I'm not sure that it can be done to rooms with windows and/or doors. Is this true?

Also, I went back to the property at the weekend and couldn't see any evidence of the damp on the walls (survey done in August) and the survey didn't say where the water was coming from, so I'm beginning to wonder how bad it is. The only thing I spotted was that the drain for the outside cellar room appears to be blocked - is this likely to be causing the damp?

Thanks in advance for any advice or help. Nicky

[Christian McArdle]

Damp is only a problem if it actually manifests itself in something bad, like a musty smell or wallpaper/paint self stripping. If you have neither, then save your cash.

Tanking is basically just sticking bitumen on the walls. If there is room, you should probably follow the bitumen by celotex insulation and plasterboard, which should help reduce condensation and save energy.

And yes, you should fix any blocked drains.

Christian.