Kenwood Damp Proofing Plc

Buying a House?

If you're buying a house then there's a good chance you'll be asked by your mortgage lender to provide a damp and timber report, so that you and they can be satisfied that there is no threat to the structure from excessive moisture, insects or fungi that can attack the walls and timber.

Kenwood Damp Proofing Plc are leading Damp and Timber experts. We provide detailed damp and timber reports, along with a quotation if treatment is needed.

Types of Damp

Moisture can appear on the inside walls of a building for a variety of reasons. It could be caused by condensation, a function of poor ventilation or inappropriate heating methods - some butane gas heaters, for example, produce large amounts of water vapour which, when it comes into contact with cold walls, condenses into damp. Usually, opening windows or changing the heat source will sort this problem out.

Penetrating and rising damp, however, are more serious problems. If your building is old, then there's a high probability that no damp-proof course was built in when it was constructed, so the walls are not protected from moisture which rises naturally from the earth up through the fabric of the building through capillary action.

It becomes a problem if the moisture penetrates vulnerable materials or finishes. This moisture will dissolve soluble salts from the building materials such as calcium sulphate, and may also carry soluble salts from its source. If the moisture evaporates through a permeable surface, these salts will be left behind and form deposits on the surface.

Whatever the cause of damp in the walls, it can lead to a number of probems. The moisture content of the structure can get to a level which encourages the growth of decay organisms - fungi such as Dry Rot, and insects that feed on the wooden parts of the structure, such as joists, beams, skirting boards and timber frames. If it gets very damp, even the bricks, stone or concrete parts of the structure can lose their strength.

Woodworm Reports

The common furniture bettle, anobium punctatum, spends the first 3 or 4 years of its life hidden in the seasoned timber where its mother laid the eggs from which it hatches. At this stage, it is a creamy white larva, starting off at about 1mm long, which wanders about happily inside the wood, eating the starchy part of the wood grain, until it's about 7mm long. It then pupates, just under the surface of the wood, for about eight weeks. The first visible sign of an infestation occurs when it breaks through the surface and emerges as an adult, making a tiny exit hole and spilling dust. By then, the damage to your timber is done - all the adults do is reproduce, but they've left behind a trail of destruction inside your joists that can play havoc with the structure of your house.

Contact the Damp and Timber Experts Today

It takes a trained expert to spot potential problems with damp and timber infestation in a building. Here at Kenwood, we provide a prompt, efficient service. If you are looking for a damp and timber report on a property you own or are looking to buy, please contact us.

Call one of the numbers below, or book your survey on-line.