How to deal with damp

[WingsofRain]

Yesterday my DP found a damp patch on a wall behind a piece of furniture. Up to this point neither of us knew it was there and I have no idea what to do about it.

How do I find out what has caused it and what do I need to do to repair it?

I have tried to get tradesmen to quote for repairs I need to have done in other parts of the house and failed so I honestly don’t know what to do. I’m completely out of my depth with this but I want it fixed before it gets worse.

I can get a dehumidifier but that doesn’t tell me where the moisture is coming from.

Get a damp survey done? I had one when I had my house on the market, think it only cost a hundred odd quid. He did some tests and pointed out a leak in the plaster by my back door from when I'd had a new door put in. Might be a simple fix.

Who would I ask to do that?

Because I’ve not been able to get anyone to quote for repairs we need to the eaves I don’t have any optimism that I’m going to be able to get a builder to respond either.

I have only managed to get one window cleaner to quote and he can’t give me a date to actually do the work.

We need a lot done and I feel absolutely helpless if I’m honest, this damp patch is a bit of a last straw.

What is on the other side of the wall? Most damp patches behind furniture are caused by lack of airflow on a cold exterior wall.

I’m not sure if this helps but generally I’ve had more luck getting quotes from larger companies than one man bands. They can be a bit more expensive but that reflects the fact that they have separate people who do things like the invoicing, quoting, answer phones and schedule work etc. so they are more organised and easier to communicate with.

Ventilation and allowing air to move around furniture etc resolves the vast majority of damp.

It’s an external wall. There does seem to be a chip out of the harling on that area but it’s superficial. Maybe it is because it’s an exposed area. I hope so!

Thank you @LaPalmaLlama, that makes a lot of sense. I do have one large company lined up to come and look at the roof and they seem very professional, but they said up front that they can’t do anything until next year, which is a worry with winter coming.

Before you start getting quotes for repairs you need to focus on finding the source of the damp.

Try:

• Making sure you ventilate and heat the house properly. Especially if it is a period property they need to 'breathe'.

• look at potential sources for the damp: is there a pipe inside the wall? a leaky gutter that could be sending water into that part of the wall from the outside? a leaky radiator?

Assuming it's an external wall without a cavity, it's not that surprising to find a damp patch if there has been furniture right up close to the wall that wasn't allowing for any ventilation.

I suggest

1. Check for any obvious external signs of water ingress, i.e. guttering etc.
2. Move the furniture away from the wall
3. Get a damp meter and monitor if it dries out or gets worse, especially after rain
4. Hope if dries out (several months)

Google 'damp surveyor". Get one who doesn't do the repair work, as they will give you independent advice rather than try to flog you repairs.

Do you have builders working in the neighbourhood? You could get them to take a look to get started. Even if you won’t book them they’ll be able to give you more info and maybe pics on where the leak is. Get two or three different ones to take a look to see if they all say the same thing (ask neighbours friends colleagues for recommendations)

I echo the others that said just heat and ventilate, and wait a few months. If it gets worse, then get someone in, but otherwise just monitor.
Take a photo or two with a ruler so you can see the exact dimensions.

Thanks everyone, we don’t have any heating in the house at present. We have lived here for 30 years without heating and we are in the process of having a heating system installed which is why we are emptying this room.

We live in a very isolated area with no other houses nearby so there aren’t any tradesmen of any type in the area. A couple of the ones I’ve asked to quote to look at the roof refused to come at all because they wouldn’t drive on an unmade road. We have a lot of things needing to be done but I’m completely stumped as to how to get help with doing it.

The heating is being done via a government scheme so the people doing it were chosen for me rather than me trying to get tradespeople to come and provide quotes.

Once the room is empty I will put an electric heater in there for a while, but until the new system is installed it’s going be difficult to keep it warm I think.