Survey back on Victorian terrace shows damp and roof issues - what now?

[Baalamooree]

I'm a FTB and have had the survey back on a 1900 Victorian terrace. The house has rising damp in the kitchen which has a concrete floor - I don't really understand damp proofing so apologies for copying and pasting -

"There is evidence of a chemical injected damp-proof course at the front and rear. However, there is also evidence of rising damp within the kitchen. Ask your legal adviser to obtain copies of any guarantees that may be available with respect to the injected damp-proof course.
Ground levels at the rear of the property are too high. Rainwater is likely to splash off the paving bridging the damp-proof course when it rains heavily.
Recommendations: Obtain a report from a specialist damp-proofing contractor. Install an effective damp-proof course and renew damp-affected internal plasterwork. Reduce ground levels to a minimum of 150mm below the damp-proof course."

What's the next step? I've read so many threads on damp and the consensus seems to be that a damp specialist would advise getting damp treatment, but that doesn't seem to have been effective previously so, would getting a builder to look at it be a better idea? I'm concerned about the amount of work and the cost involved if the vendor disagrees with the survey. Also, how would a guarantee of the damp proofing help? Would the vendor then be obliged to fix it?

The roof space ventilation and insulation is also considered to be poor. Is this a difficult job?

I guess I'm hoping that this is typical of FTB worries and that in reality all the above problems are easily (and inexpensively) remedied.

I'd really appreciate your advice.

A guarantee would give the vendor some recourse if recent work hasn't been sufficient to rectify the problem. If the level of the garden has accumulated above the damp course, maybe a patio has been added for example, then water is coming in above it , so it is no longer effective. We had ventilation issues in a much newer house, and just needed special tiles put on . Insulation may well not be up to current specs (which have changed in past few years) but that isn't necessarily a problem or difficult to upgrade. tbh most 100+ year houses will have damp/roof type issues.

Thanks LIZS. I don't think the damp proofing is recent, if it isn't and the vendor doesn't have a guarantee, do I then look at lowering the ground level or will the damp course be carried out above the ground level?

"The house has rising damp in the kitchen which has a concrete floor"

b***s.

It probably has a leaking water pipe under the concrete floor, which will need digging up to replace it, though you might be able to run a new one under wooden floors and at skirting level in the kitchen. It would however be best to lay a new floor incorporating DPM and insulation, which the an floor will not have.

"Reduce ground levels to a minimum of 150mm below the damp-proof course."

Yes, if some idiot has laid a concrete path or patio outside, it needs digging up and replacing at the height the house was built at.

Don't waste your money on chemical treatment. It will not repair the leak and it will not dig up the ground. A recommended small local builder is what you need.

If you invite someone into your home who sells damp-proofing treatment, you should expect him to tell you to buy damp-proofing treatment.

I'd ask a builder to have a look. From the survey our buyers suveyor did you would think our house was about to fall down, 2 builders only found a few minor things which were cheap and easy to fix - hopefully this maybe the case for you too. I think its almost always never as bad as the surveyor makes out!

If the damp proof course is guaranteed then the company should come and rectify and problems free of charge, although if they didn't suggest or attempt to reduce the ground level then you would probably have to pay for someone to do this. The guarantee will only cover work that they carried out and has been unseccesful. Get a builder to check that there actually is damp before panicking though.

Forgot to say about the roof - that sounds like nothing to worry about to me. You can add your own roof insulation for a few hundred pounds or check with British Gas if you'd qualify for them to do so for you (we were entitled to free insulation which they fitted just due to our post code, we aren't on any bennefits etc). Ventilation can be added by a builer, British gas did ours for free when they fitted the insulation and it was very quick and easy, so I imagine would be pretty cheap to pay someone to do.

sovery

see if they will give you a mortgage with an £x00 retention to be released "when" you have had a damp-proofing saleman round. You might decide to put up with the retention.

If you do the usual clearing airbricks, mending dripping gutters, replacing cracked yard gullies, relaying high patios or flowerbeds with a slope away from the house, and don't drape wet washing round, it will probably dry out. all those things will need doing anyway.

let the buyers worry about it. offer them £1k off.

Do those drying out things anyway and the next surveyor might find it drier.

Thanks Pigletjohn that's very helpful. If the kitchen floor needs digging up, will that be the entire floor and therefore a kitchen that cannot be used? If so, then that's a job to be done before moving in. Is a leaking water pipe a common problem? Is it likely to be a long term leak that the vendor hadn't noticed?

Sadpander we had assumed the loft would need insulating but the point raised about the ventilation had me concerned, so it's helpful to know it's not too difficult a job. Thanks.

Water pipes usually leak by the time they're 60 to 100 yeats old. If there is a water meter the bubble will never stop. If not, an experienced plumber can detect it with a glass of water at the sink tap.

You could trench it, or even run a new pipe above the floor, but if there is indeed a leak, digging it all out will be the best job. There may be a cavity.

Of course I could be wrong, but it is common. A local builder or plumber will know.

Rising damp is pretty much a myth perpetuated by people wanting to sell you environmentally unfriendly chemicals pumped into your house which won't resolve the underlying problem - ground level outside needs lowering.
Damp inside could be, as suggested, leaky pipe but those jab in the walls things are basically unreliable rubbish.
Could be nothing.
Or perhaps house feels damp because people dry clthes on radiators and don't ventilate their homes. Some windows never get opened in some houses!
Loft insulation and ventilation both pretty cheap and easy to resolve.