Can i turn damp study into babys bedroom easily?

[Salella]

Room sharing with 6 month old and 5 year old not working out- baby keeps Ds from sleeping. We have a small study we could convert but it has damp but not too badly. We rent. Could we convert the room easily ourselves do you think? Doubt the land Lord would pay but wouldn't mind, I dont think.

[wowfudge]

When you say convert, what do you mean? If it's an ordinary room then all you do is change the furniture, but I get the impression it involves more.

[Salella]

Well the carpet would need replacing, the built in cupboards and shelving would need to go, there is damp and lino at the bottom of the cupboards....

[Hobby2014]

Can you pull everything out the room, scrub the walls/floor, paint it with an undercoat of anti mould paint, then decorate as normal with new carpets/furniture?

[Sleepyhoglet]

I'd certainly be asking the landlord and explaining its for a small child. I'm sure if any child got ill as a result of living in uninhabitable conditions there would be a come back for the landlord

[FlumptyDumpty]

What kind of damp, rising, penetrating, condensation? If it's rising or penetrating your landlord will need to carry out work to rectify it ( and should do so, rather than leave you living with damp). It will probably involve hacking off plaster and re-rendering. Untreated damp can be a health hazard if black mould is allowed to grow and it's not always visible as it could be growing between walls and built in cupboards, behind wallpaper etc. If it's just condensation you may be able to sort it out yourselves by eg a dehumidifier, keeping windows ajar etc, but again you will need to be vigilant against mould if you plan to allow anybody to sleep there.

[Sleepyhoglet]

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/repairs-in-rented-housing/disrepair-common-problems/disrepair-dampness/

[Salella]

Thank you all so much- because it wasn't advertised as a bedroom I doubt the ll will feel it's their responsibility... Handy man came and suggested holes in the cupboard s for air supply to reduce the damp behind the cupboards and special paint for the room- not sure how much we can do ourselves without it being a massive job

[Plexie]

Why wasn't the room advertised as a bedroom? It probably doesn't meet building regulations of some sort, eg natural light or fire safety.

[IssyStark]

Plexie, many councils have regulations on size of rooms for bedrooms. It is perfectly possible to have a room which is big enough to be a baby's bedroom but not big enough for an adult.

[Millymollymama]

Could you not move to somewhere so your older child can have a bedroom and you are not worried about a damp cubbyhole for a baby? Sounds a very difficult situation to me. If I was your landlord, I would not want my house to be damp. Can real reason for damp be investigated?

[specialsubject]

doesn't matter whether it is a kid or not, damp is not acceptable; adults are just as important as kids. You need to report.

if it is damp -is it condensation?

if the landlord refuses to do anything and it is damp, get on to environmental health. If you want to stay, that is.

[TeddyBee]

You might find that if you rip all the built in furniture and carpet out and keep good ventilation in there, that the damp goes. We used to get damp behind our wardrobe but the house was basically fine, it was just a lack of air circulation in that corner of the room.

[Salella]

Thanks all, teddy I think you've hit the nail on the head. Will try this and see if we can make a nice room for the baby.
Poster re moving... We can't afford to move. Nor can we afford somewhere bigger.