Anyone had experience of needing a new damp course?

[Sidebeforeself]

just moved in and knew we had a problem but its making me anxious already. Getting someone in this week for a quote but wondered if anyone had recently had to replace theirs? I have no idea what to expect? I think is would be needed on 2/3 walls. What is the disruption like? How much did it cost? I know it will vary on each house but just want to start getting my head around it

What are they proposing that they do? How old is your house and why do you think it needs a new damp proof course?

P.s. injection dp proof courses don't work, are a waste of time and money and can make damp issues worse.

We had two walls damproofed when we bought our house. All the plaster had to come off, up to a height of about 1.2m on the affected walls. They came and did their bit which took about a day, and then we left the walls exposed for about a month whilst they dried out. Conveniently by total chance during this renovation actually found the leak causing the damp, so that was fixed at the same time.

We were doing a lot of other works to the house at the same time, it it was part and parcel of all that really.

I haven’t had a professional opinion yet but there is mould on the walls inside , the walls are damp and the plaster is flaking off. It’s caused by badly fitting decking that has blocked the drains and air bricks so that needs removing I know.

@SquashPenguin Thats useful - thanks.

Also, is this a sooner rather than later thing to do or would we be better waiting till spring when its drier weather?

If you think you know what’s causing it, remove the decking and see if it helps first?

How old is your house?
From 2000(ish) it was a legal requirement to install damp course( have just had my bathroom investigated as bathroom floor is very damp)
I'd get a surveyor in to check the extent first
If there is no damp course at all the floors will need to come up and membranes put in
Have you seen any evidence of rising damp?( tide marks on walls
If not I would try running a dehumidifier and see if there's any improvement

Meant to add I was quoted £400 for a tiny bathroom

As PP have said, the evidence for damp courses working is extremely thin. Far better to identify the issue (which you have done), fix it and let the walls dry out, heat and ventilate them. There are so many damp company cowboys out there, be aware.

Glad I started this thread! It’s a Victorian build . Im using the term dampcourse as thats what I assumed it was. The evidence is plaster off the wall, the wall feels damp and there’s yellow/green mould which wipes off. Obviously we are heating, dehumidifying etc as the house has been empty for a year so that will help. I guess I just don’t want to live with the ugliness of it for any longer than necessary.By that I mean I wonder if there’s a temp solution until we can get the outside sorted and it dries up?

Join the your old house Uk Facebook group, you'll get way better advice and a DPC probably won't help long term!

Go and look at Heritage House online for guidance. DPC Injections are a con. As a possible, find the issue, heat and ventilate before you part with money. I've got penetrating damp, it's getting sorted in spring.

If your air bricks are blocked and ground level around the house is too high, resolving these will likely go a long way to solving the damp. External ground level should be 150mm below the damp course.
The damp course (DPC) works by stopping moisture rising up through the brickwork from the ground. If the ground is above the DPC, it cannot function correctly. The reason injection DPCs often fail is because they are put in too high up the wall so the damp can still penetrate below.

Do whatever you can now outside to remove the cause of the damp. It will only get worse over winter both inside and out. This is probably something you can do yourself then use the experts to complete the remedial work internally.

You need to sort out the cause of the issue first. The damp proof course in a Victorian house is likely to be made of slate and will last hundreds of years. It isn't working because it has been breached probably by the high external ground level and decking.

Getting injections and replastering will just cover the issue up and could mean that water is still getting in lower down and maybe rotting the joist ends of the floor.

Using the money to strip the plaster off and let the wall dry out and then take up the decking and unblocking the air bricks would be way more sensible.

You could replaster the damp wall with lime plaster as this will let the wall continue to dry out and breathe.

Great advice all - thanks. Going to remove the bloody decking asap

Dpcs have been required in houses for a hundred years or more, so you will likely have one it's probably ineffective for some reason.
Injected ones do work of course for whatever their purpose is, but there's no magic if the design is poor of the repair.
Slate dpcs are ok and they don't deteriorate as such but they only ever slow down moisture so it can evaporate from the wall quicker than its taken up. The mortar that surrounds the slate can pass moisture.

Victorian houses do not have damp courses and rarely require them.

Heritage House Managing Damp in Old Buildings

@BlueMongoose Thankyou sooo much. You may have saved me a small fortune

We did this. Wally damp man interesting