Astonishingly boring question of the week. About DAMP.

[snowleopard]

I just don't understand damp, what it really is and what causes it and how you fix it. Is it nightmarishly expensive?

We have a small damp area low down on one wall by the front door - it was spotted by the surveyor when we bought the house but they said it was minimal and not an indicator of a serious problem. But now we're planning to redecorate and we want to fix it. Who do you call to fix damp? Are they likely to rip you off... what is a typical treatment and what does it involve? If anyone has had something similar fixed, please tell me about it... thanks.

well, the black marks are caused by a fungus which you can kill with something or other, but fundamentally the problem is water being where it shouldn't be, and that's the bit you have to fix.

If the plaster is damp, you may find you can chip the plaster off the wall, paint with damp-proof paint and then re-plaster. that's what my mum did anyway. a builder can do it.

Damp is I think caused by one of three things -you need to work out which one it is so you know how to fix it. First is rising damp -that is dampness coming up from the ground because the house doesn't have a functioning damp proof course. Second is penetrating damp-water enters the property through a gap/crack in the structure of the building. Thirdly condensation-moisture condenses on the wall of the house due to lack of ventilation.
Yours sounds most likely to be 1 or 2. Are there any cracks in the seal round the door? Do you have soil or vegetation banked up against the wall of the house in this area?

Thanks both - v helpful. I agree 1 or 2 sound plausible snice - no soil, but could be cracks. The rest of the house has no damp so maybe it could be a bit of damage to the damp-proof course, if there is one.

Do you just phone a builder or is there such a thing as a damp-fixing specialist?

There are loads of damp proofing specialists and quite a few of them are cowboys.Most will come round and do a free survey but to be honest it is in their interest to find work to do. Get one who belongs to one of the professional bodies or ask a decent builder. If its a small area you can probably get away with hacking off the plaster and "tanking " the area with bitumen paint. Incidentally one way damp proof course is breached is if the plaster internally comes over it and then the skirting board put on so you could check for this too.

Thanks snice - brilliant.