Would you buy this property?

[hugsandpugs]

Hi,

So we are in the process of buying a house. We had a survey done which came back with high damp meter readings in several areas to the ground floor of the property. It was advised to get a specialist damp/timber surveyor in.

We have done this, just got the report back and the remedial works to sort the issue out is going to cost around 10 grand!!

Would you try and renegotiate with the seller or pull out?

Were in the North East of England.

To be fair the sellers have been amicable with us so far, the house had no attic hatch so we asked if one could be installed as we were not prepared to go any further without seeing inside there.

We asked whether they would contribute to the cost and they obliged so we paid half each for that. We paid for the homebuyer survey and when that identified damp and needed a damp/timber specialist report they went 50/50 with us on the cost of that too.

I feel grateful that they’ve worked with us so far so fingers crossed they will be open to negotiating on the price now

That's a lot of money, in the north east as well, for works. I don't know what hacking is, but what is the source of the water ingress? What is the damp reading? Is it currently occupied?

The report is so detailed but from what I can tell it’s due to rising damp, the age of the property etc. It is unoccupied

Hacking is basically chopping the plaster off the wall (DH told me this I have no idea 🤣)

I'm buying a mid terrace in South Wales too and my report said almost the exact same thing. The house I'm purchasing is over 100 years old, solid walls, concrete foundation. I'm also renting a very similar property in the same area.

All the masonry wall in the rental show high moisture content but there's no signs of damp, mold or condensation. I dry clothes with a dehumidifier when I can't hang them out, open bedroom windows every morning and after showering and I've never had an issue.

Re rendering and plastering sounds like bad advice to me
Unless they told you to use breathable materials.

Why do you or they think this is the correct solution for an old building
Where is the damp ie walls ?
What’s causing the damp , tbh I think I can guess but what have the surveyors said

You’re treating your property with respect and common sense
👏👏👏

So it hasn’t been aired as it’s empty

Dehumidify
Remove glue based wall surfaces and replace with breathable paints only ( FB and Earthborn are excellent )

You need to ignore asking price and determine how much the home is worth. It's a quick check on the site I gave you.

It sound like it’s already been priced to reflect to work that needs doing

So on the site you gave me to check it says current estimated value is 133,000. It last sold in 2014 for 72,000

The report has actually identified evidence of rotting timbers underneath the stairs and very high readings around the door frames of the sitting rooms etc.

Admittedly I have no clue when it comes to things like this so I’m just trying to relay the main issues that it’s stated on the report

That suggests to me that your £120K pp with £10K of maintenance is fair.

Also it’s started affecting the plaster on some of the walls to the point they are soft and pliable in some areas

If the client wishes to address the current level of moisture and salt contamination at the property,
the following internal works will be required:
• The walls indicated on the enclosed plan should be treated with a chemical damp proof
course in accordance with BS6576.
Whilst not all sections of the wall are accessible or visibly damp at this time it is not advisable
to treat part of a wall as this will result in the dampness spreading beyond the treated section.
Therefore, treating the full wall is recommended.
• The wall indicated in the enclosed floor plan should be 'tanked' to prevent lateral penetration
of ground moisture from the higher adjacent ground levels. Tanking should be carried out in
accordance with BS8102 standards. The treatment should extend at least to the same height
as the adjacent ground level, with a damp-proof course (DPC) installed above this to prevent
moisture from rising above the tanked area.
• The areas of masonry and wall plaster affected with hygroscopic salts must be renewed and
the wall treated with anti-sulphate solution to neutralise the contaminant salts. The areas of
masonry and wall plaster affected with hygroscopic salts must be renewed and the wall
treated with anti-sulphate solution to neutralise the contaminant salts. On walls where damp
proof course treatments are required it is necessary to remove the plaster to a height of at
least 1meter, or 300mm above the highest level of dampness and the plaster must be
stopped at least one inch above any solid floors.
• Renew the skirting boards on the walls where treatments are to be carried out. The rear face
and bottom edge of the new skirting boards should be treated with wood preserver to protect
the timber for the duration of time the wall takes to dry.
• Renew the rot affected timber panelling below the staircase. If new timbers are o be installed
there should be physical damp proof course installed below the sole plate to provide
separation from the solid floor.

I think it’s worth showing the seller the report and maybe asking for a contribution (rather than the full price of the work). It sounds like they’ve been very reasonable so far through so there is a danger they might see this as the last straw and say no. Given that this sounds minor, that the house is well priced and you want it, ultimately I’d suck it up. I’d also live with the house for a while before doing major work (and put heating on, open windows etc).

Just posted above what the recommendations are following the survey if that helps to clarify things

Yes the seller did ask to see the report so I have forwarded it across to the estate agents for them.

I know there are some ventilation issues there in terms of there not being any extractor fans in the kitchen etc.

I think I agree that yes they have been very fair so far and so perhaps asking for a contribution may be the best course of action moving forward

Is this is timber framed building that’s partly below the external ground level

mention of raising damproofing above external ground level
and
dpm between floor and sole plate

Reading that, the culprit seems to be that the external ground is higher than the damp course (I.e it’s bridged). I am a layperson but I would suggest that what you need to do is lower the external ground, or dig a French drain, allow the walls to dry out, and use breathable paint. Assuming this is an older property, they need to breathe.

I doubt you need tanking and you most definitely don’t need a chemical damp course. And it won’t cost you ten grand.

I owned a Victorian house with damp due to bridged damp course. A french drain (cost about £500 5 yrs ago) sorted it out.

It is a mid terraced house on a hill and the wall that needs tanking is the wall joining to the property next door which is a higher ground

It isn’t timber construction it is a traditional stone construction. The house was built pre 1919

If the plaster is friable then it’s basically blown and needs renewing and the presence of salts suggests this has been a growing problem
and an indication of damp in those areas

The first thing to do is remove all wall coverings showing severe damp. ie plaster. Allow to dry out and to speed this up use a dehumidifyer
Then treat the areas with salt contamination and replaster once fully dried out ( you can check with a damp meter )
Id suggest a lime plaster to allow the building to breath and a breathable paint over ( watch out for sellers who advertise their paints as breathable as most are not )

Rotten timbers will need to be removed not just because they will have lost structural integrity but also because they may carry salt contamination which if not removed can lead to decay.

Id offer a lower price if you think the sellers will go for it and depending on prices of similar properties in the area
It never hurts to ask but if it’s already a good price and they refuse the reduction then
whilst yes, work is needed, it’s not a huge deal.

Ps Moisture can rise in buildings to approx 1m above external ground level. When removing definitely don’t go below that. If anything go above to be sure

We negotiated a few thousand off a house that had damp in the survey, I think they may be expecting this, it surely can't hurt to try?