Damp where do I begin to diagnose the problem

[Charlotte500]

Charlotte500

I've seen a few posts about this but none recent so hope you all don't mind me starting this one.

I've noticed a damp patch in my hall, it's on an outside wall, North facing with a side entrance and doesn't get much sunshine. I can also smell it under the stairs. And I've noticed when its sunny its quite dry but when it rains the patch is much wetter. On the outside of the house, the pebble dash is blown all up the wall practically to the top and all along the base of the wall the paint is bubbling and coming away. Conincidentally I've been stripping the box room on the same wall and noticed the plaster in thr same place looks a bit iffy (first time its been decorated). Since I've been here I've renewed all the guttering and had a new roof so I suspect whatever this is, it's been going on a long time unnoticed. I only noticed it because I pulled out a small cupboard and saw the wallpaper coming away.

My friends husband thinks it is long standing rain penetration that's getting behind the pebble dash, but as he said he's no expert it's just a guess from looking at it.

My problem is how and where do I start to get the problem analysed. I don't want to call in a damp proof company with their free surveys as i feel they will just say, rising damp and want to drill holes in the walls and fill them with whatever.

I've considered getting and independent surveyor but again I don't know what to expect, I don't want to pay out hundreds for someone to waive a damproof meter at it, so do they work to a B.S. standard?
.

I'm a bit desperate really for some help as being a woman, I think if I don't do this right I could get royally ripped off with no real solution. So what should I do .

Hopi g all you lovely people can help.

If the render is blown/cracked then that is a good candidate for where the damp is coming from. I would take off the damaged render and see if the house dries out. Either way it sounds like the render needs sorting and it is quite possible that fixing that will completely sort the problem out, especially of the guttering and roof are fine. What is at the bottom of the wall? Mud? Concrete path?

If you take off the render, the rain, when you get it, will penetrate even more! Get a proper surveyor out and accept you have to pay! If you get a builder to hack off the pebble dash and then replace it, that’s a good start and it clearly needs doing! Then see what dries out.

Isnwver as scary as the damp specialists lead you to believe.

Definitely get an independent surveyor rather than a damp company.

If your house is old read up on the heritage house website as it's a great font of knowledge on damp and how simply damp can get in and equally how easy it can be stopped.

Get your guttering checked - a lot of damp is caused by leaking gutters. We had high readings of damp in our house when we bought it and our surveyor suggested having all the guttering replaced, then drying the house out with central heating over the winter, which we did. Damp has gone now.