We were contacted by a neighbour of a regular customer earlier in the year and asked to visit the property following damp proofing works by another contractor.
On arrival at the property, our client pointed out areas of concern that had been previously treated but weren’t drying out after several months.
It was found that the property had issues with dampness caused by high external ground levels.
The company that had carried out the work had misdiagnosed the issue as rising damp and had only removed the plaster to a height of 1m.
The company then installed new plasterboards directly onto already damp walls using plasterboard adhesive.
No damp proof course had been installed.
The areas that were failing to dry out were the “dabs” of plasterboard adhesive which were allowing the dampness to leach from the damp wall and onto the new plasterboards.
The plaster removal had also caused cracking to the plaster above 1m leaving a poor finish.
Our surveyor advised what work should have actually been carried out along with associated costs.
Our client agreed and a date was booked to remedy the work already carried out.
Plaster was removed from the affected walls from floor to ceiling and the skirting boards and door architraves were removed(timberwork was not previously removed).
A cavity drain membrane was installed to the walls to a height of 2m due to the higher external ground levels.
New plasterboards were installed on the walls and skimmed.
New skirting boards and door architraves were installed to complete the look.
This work was carried out and completed in under 2 days.
Even though the work may look quite extensive this type of work can be carried out quickly and redecoration can be carried out within only a few days of the work completing.
