What could be cause of damp/moulds - how to get help

[Sailawaygirl]

I have damp / mould patch in my hall right under my roof on the join between top of ceiling and wall of stairs.
Noticed this about 2 years ago and got several roofers in as it seemed the logical explanation

• roofer 1 said that there was some missing tiles and a broken tyle ( he was a complete rip off and paid him 1k to replace tyles that he didnt and repoint chimeny which he bodged) lesson learned
• roofer 2 said that there was a damp patch under the eves and that the felt was torn and also tucked under so it was directing water inside he said he un tucked the felt and he would come back but was then too busy or didn't answer calls.
• so last year we paid another roofer to re felt and re batton that side of the roof ( needed scaffolding) so we hoped thay would have sorted it

The wet patch has looked better since ( but dry summer) but this last two weeks house has smelt a damp and yesterday the way was really damp even low down and the wall paper is coming away. So I really worried its got worse and something needs to be done asap. But I just feel I have been fobbed of by roofers and they are so hard to get hold of! Also worried it might not be the roof at all! DH worried thay cavity wall insulation is damp and that's the issue. How can we find a reliable person to get to the bottom of it? I feel like roofers just say I need a new roof for the work would a general builder be able to help? What trade am I looking for to diagnose the issue I have owned the property for 6 years.

Leaks can be very tricky to unpick and the fact it hasn't been fixed doesn't necessarily mean that the previous roofers didn't fix something.

How old is the house? Do you have pics of the inside and outside where the leak is?

House is ex council house 1950s semi . rendered on outside but no obvious damp on the top bricks by the eves.
Will post pics tomorrow
It is on north side so colder but its not been that cold!
I run dehumidifier / airfilter if I have washing up stairs and last week readings were normal mostly below 60. Yesterday and today it's over 80 and not coming down.
It hard to get into loft myself as I have toddler running around after work but will try on the weekend to see if I can see anything.

Is the damp patch is in the middle of the roof of near an external wall? Do you have any pipework up there for central heating?

I whiped the area down with anti mould spray ( where I could reach because its a the top of the full length stairway) so that's why there is a 'clean' looking stripe. But the extent down the wall amd across celing has suddenly really grown.

Oh, I feel your pain, also have a damp problem and have spent 10’s of thousands on work to “fix” the problem, which is still there! Think full re render, roof ridge tiles re pointed, flashing replaced, chimney repairs, full re plaster of the wall and still the damp comes through! I have a damp specialist coming next week to do a survey! Keeping my fingers crossed he will get to the bottom of it. Have you got cavity wall insulation? Mine is also 1950s property and I had CWI put in 4 yrs ago, it think this might be the problem! Feel for you

@Geneticsbunny
It is pretty much in the middle of external wall. Not sure about pipes. We are hoping to have a look tomorrow but it's very hard to get into the eves that far because of the loft insulation and shallow pitch of the eves. ( and the false widow spiders ). I have a fobia of cobwebs so lofts give me a very big panic attack and DH is scared of spiders.

We had a damp patch (looked like a leak) in our hallway (above the front door, as well as over the window at the top of the stairs, with black mould starting to grow. Had the roof checked, all clear. Installed a ventilation fan in the bathroom (we had been just opening a window), and cleared some room in the garage for a tumble dryer. Problem fixed - purely down to condensation!

@worriedsickson19
Hoe did you find a damp surveyor? Are they expensive?

It is worth getting a dehumidifier regardless, because living in damp is not good for you.

Is it the highest coolest part of your home? If so, especially if it at the top of the stairwell and all rooms lead to the space, it could just be a case of all damp air from drying / cooking / showering condensing there and creating a damp patch. If you have a well ventilated house in the summer and dry clothes outside, that would account for the reduction of the problem over the last few months.

Thing is, that's a typical place for condensation as it's high, in a corner where the air circulation is poor. Dehumidifier is a good idea, also treat that area with an antifungal and repaint with a bathroom-type paint which will be far easier to wipe any mould off if/when it returns. We've done that for some areas in our house and it's helped a lot, less mould growth altogether.

I had an independent damp report for a couple hundred quid, do NOT get a cheap one that us a discount against their own services though.

Don't get ripped off by a 'damp specialist'. I spent thousands when I moved in to my home after the survey showed damp. They did a chemical DPC. What a waste of money.

However, I also had another random spot of damp on an external wall. There was an old gutter down pipe the other side. Turned out that had failed so I got that replaced and the damp has gone from there. Have you got any guttering near your damp patch that might have failed?

You can check whether it is condensation or water from outside by waiting till its dry and then taping some clingfilm on the area. If water collects on the outside it is condensation and if not then it is water coming in from the outside.
What does the render look like? Could it be blown in that area and be trapping water behind it when it rains?

If you have a combi boiler and it isn't in the loft then it is reasonably unlikely there are water pipes up there

The whole hall and stairway needs replastering and repainted. And it's too high for me to paint with anti fungal paint.
We have dehumidifier on upstairs but we are noticing that the humidity reading are starting high even after a full day on.
It is on a cold north east facing wall that doesn't get much sun this time of year because of a big tree, so at first I did think that this could be causing condensation. But I really don't want to ignore and spen 2k repainting and replastering if that's just hiding the problem.
Insulation was done before we came but worried it is this.

Do you mean loft insulation? That won't cause damp. Or were the walls externally insulated and rendered?

It’s £120 for the survey in Glasgow, just so fed up of throwing money at the situation!

I've have cavity wall insulation.
Outside walls are rendered

Maybe that tiny bit of wall there didn't get any cavity wall insulation into it and it is very cold and is getting condensation on it? Could you get the cavity wall guys back to check it?

It is very reassuring to find that others are struggling with similar as well!
I just feel that it would be very easy to spend lots of money and not get the bottom of it. We only have 5k in savings atm ( got new hearing system last year) so on a very fine budget!! We budget on spending 1k -3k a year on house I don't know if that is unrealistic?

Cavity wall insulation could be checked by any builder with a ladder, drill and an endoscope camera but if you do the clingfilm trick first that should help Solve it.

Check the guttering and fascia boards on the external wall and if you have any vents in the roof line. These will be the most common culprits.

If there are vents, these may be blocked or covered over causing moisture to build.

Guttering could be blocked and leaking.

Old, loose or damaged fascias/barge boards letting in rain etc,

I'd say its probably from condensation. How big a space is your dehumidifier having to cover though? If its in the hallway/landing one dehumidifier covering that amount of space is going to struggle. We have one dehumidifier in a mid size bedroom on for 12 hours per day and that just about stops the condensation problem.

I would get three or 4 roofers out to give you a free quote and see what they say and whether there is a common consensus about the problem.
I also have had to have roof work done and had to get several things done to resolve the problem but there are only so many things that can go wrong with a roof so you will eventually get it sorted. In my case it was coming from the velux windows, even though the damp patch was in the very corner, like yours.