Damp proof course quote. Asking if my husband was in.

[KungFufu]

Been quoted £2000 for dpc semi detached house, 25m externally on the outside of the house and 4m internally. plastering internally included. We live in the west Midlands. Company seems good, with lots of positive reviews.

Does this sound like a reasonable price? One thing that I found odd was they kept asking if my husband was in. After reading some of the reviews other people mentioned the same, the company response to this was, they save money by not having to come out to the property numerous times to explain to partners.

I'm a single mum, so sometimes feel intimidated and overwhelmed when it comes to getting tradespeople in.

One thing that I found odd was they kept asking if my husband was in.

It's a standard pressure selling technique- so that you can't use the excuse of needing to speak to a partner.

Most damp treatments are little more than a scam. The pressure sales technique is so that you don’t go away, do some research and realise that.

How old is your property and why are you getting a damp treatment?

@MyAnacondaMight

It felt more like, if there was a man present they'd understand it better. So asked for my husband to be there and that they could come when he was there. I had this before when I gone to buy a car and they've always spoken to the male I was with rather than me.

It's a 1920s house. The survey I had done when I purchased the house 4 years ago was done by Rentokil, it stated that there was rising damp present and would need a damp proof course. At the time due to finances I never had it done.

@pigletjohn would like to hear what you think

What problems is this "rising damp" causing?

Damp at the bottom of walls is often caused by a simple issue which is easily remedied.

For example, problems can result if earth is piled too high against the walls outside - easily fixed by lowering the ground level a bit. Or if the house has damp around an old chimney this can result from sooty, tarry deposits inside the chimney absorbing moisture from damp air. Improving ventilation in the chimney void could help with this.

Were they trying to sell you chemical injections?

I'd say it's a good price. I think I paid £2600 for mine and it's a terrace in the NW.

Paint, wall paper peeling, mold on walls and water marks on some walls.

@PigletJohn When I asked he explained it entailed drilling holes and then injecting.

I'm still waiting for the invoice which will give more details.

I showed him around the upstairs room which had some mold in the corner and he told me it didn't need doing and just needed good ventilation.

I’d be inclined to take my business somewhere that showed you more respect, but I know finding tradespeople can be really hard. I think there’s a lot for trusting your instincts in these situations. If you can feel that someone is a decent human, things tend to go well.

A business once told me they check with both adults as 1 could agree to the contract and they go to all the trouble and expense of putting an offer together and the other adult refuses to agree payments..
Comes across all wrong I agree though..

@KungFufu

Paint, wall paper peeling, mold on walls and water marks on some walls.

@PigletJohn When I asked he explained it entailed drilling holes and then injecting.

I'm still waiting for the invoice which will give more details.

I showed him around the upstairs room which had some mold in the corner and he told me it didn't need doing and just needed good ventilation.

So they are selling you silicone injections.

Damp has various causes, depending where it is. Commonly a drain, plumbing, gutter or downpipe leak, often condensation from wet washing or steamy showers, sometimes a bridged DPC from earth or paving against the wall, sometimes blocked airbricks. Occasionally a stream that the house has been built on.

One thing you can be sure of is that silicone injections do not repair leaks or building defects, or add ventilation.

How old is your house, and where is the damp?

I’d have to quote their husband comment on Twitter. I wouldn’t be able to use that company even if they were the best company for the job

Do some research, www.heritage-house.org/ is brilliant.
Often damp is caused by cement on walls meaning the bricks can’t breathe and the moisture comes out on the other side of the wall. There is apparantly no such thing as rising damp in any other country. This site has a good article - and lots of info and they will come out and advise. It would be worth what they charge if the answer isn’t on their site.Above poster right too. Damp in corners is just ventilation as the condensation hits the cold bits of the wall.
They have saved us a fortune in that the painted stone round our windows was damp and flaky and when we scraped off the plastic paint and cement it’s now dried out. Previous owners had injected stuff which does nothing, it’s the cement Harling on the walls that’s our problem, I am sure yours will be something similar, but don’t use this company.