To increase value and make more space, more-and-more homeowners are looking for ways to extend their homes. Often, this means building outwards or getting a loft conversion. One of the more overlooked options is to get a cellar conversion.
Thanks, in part, to better and more cost-effective waterproofing methods, many homeowners are starting to look towards their cellar as a great option for expanding their home.
Let’s discuss some of the benefits of damp proofing and how you can convert your cellar.
What Are the Benefits Of a Cellar Conversion?
There are several key benefits to getting a cellar conversion in your property. These include:
Increases the square footage of your property giving you additional living space
Improves the value of your home
Makes good use of a space that was previously unused
Adds to the salability of your home
Lets you rent out extra space
In addition to these benefits, you’ll also be able to maximise the potential for your existing space. By moving one of your rooms down into the basement, you’ll be able to free up some of your above-ground space.
Alternatively, you could use your basement for something a bit more ambitious such as to house a swimming pool, a gym, or a cinema.
With the right help, you can convert your basement without breaking the bank and without complication. You’ll also get help sticking to building regulations.
The structure of the space won’t change during the conversion so you won’t need to get planning permission, however, if you’re creating more bedrooms through the conversion, you will need to apply for planning permission.
How to Damp Proof a Cellar Conversion
As the water table rises and properties experience an increase in hydrostatic pressure, conventional basement waterproofing techniques such as cement-based renders become unreliable.
A method that is becoming more popular when it comes to waterproofing involves applying a polyethylene Cavity Drain Membrane. With the right substrate, the membrane can be applied directly. This will be vapour proof and waterproof. It also helps with insulation.
Before installing the membrane, it will be essential to install drainage. Later, insulation and plasterboard can be applied in front of the membrane. This helps create a dry area that can be lived in.
Enjoying Your Cellar Conversion
Once your waterproofing system has been installed, your cellar conversion will be ready to enjoy and should last as long as the property as long as the damp proofing has been installed by a suitable contractor and undergoes routine maintenance of your drainage channels.
Get in touch today to learn more about damp proofing a cellar conversion.
Damp can affect any property of any age and there are many different types and causes of damp but ordinarily the costliest to resolve tend to be rising damp, followed by penetrating damp.
Whilst rising damp is a problem that can affect any property it is the least common form of dampness found in properties compared to the other types of damp (penetrating and condensation).
While rising damp can affect any property, it is more commonly found to affect older properties that do not have a damp-proof course in place or has one that has become damaged over time.
Unfortunately, the simple answer is that it is more than likely that your home insurance wont cover any damp proofing works you may require. The reason for this is that when you sign onto the insurance policy you normally have agreed that the property is already in good condition.
Having a damp survey carried out on the property is the best solution to sorting out the problem. This will help you understand the cause of the issue, to see what damp problems your property is affected by, and if any treatments will need to be carried out.
This information will also help when seeking insurance to help validate any claims that are accepted.
What is Rising Damp?
Rising damp occurs when groundwater creeps up the walls and/or through the floors of a building by a process known as ‘capillary action’. Building materials such as bricks, mortar and cement are porous, and so they can absorb and draw moisture upwards, just as a piece of tissue paper would if you dangled the end of it in a jar of water.
The property has no damp-proof course (DPC) inside its walls or damp-proof membrane (DPM) under its concrete floors. Alternatively, the DPC is place may be damaged – then the water is able to rise up above the foundations of the house and could eventually rear its ugly head in your ground-floor rooms.
This form of damp can also be caused by the external ground level being raised – for example, if a flower bed is directly up against an exterior wall, or an area next to the building has been concreted over or paved. There may be insufficient height to the damp proof course or if the ground levels next to the walls becomes higher than the DPC, it can act as a ‘bridge’ for rising groundwater. This allows it to bypass the DPC. The situation can be made worse if there is inadequate drainage to carry rainwater away from the building.
What is Penetrating Damp?
Penetrating damp is a common issue encountered by property owners, which is more common in properties which have been built with solid wall construction. This is also becoming a common problem in properties which have been built with cavity wall construction where cavity wall insulation has been installed poorly or been introduced in walls which are not suitable for the insulation material. This can allow rain to pass through a cavity wall and cause decorative spoiling internally.
Penetrating damp can affect your properties ceilings, walls and roofs and it can happen at any level of a property. It is much more common in older properties as they are far more likely to have solid external walls. A newly built property with cavity walls provides properties with much more protection and as a result is less likely to suffer from penetrating damp.
Your damp walls are likely to be a result of property defects. These can be internal and external issues. Some of the most common external issues tend to be issues such as faulty downpipes, defective roofing, defective masonry and leaking gutters.
What Damage Can Rising and Penetrating Damp Cause to Your House?
Rising damp and penetrating damp cannot only provide you with an unsightly stain on the wall but if left untreated it can lead to significant structural damage. This can occur if the dampness affects the timbers of the property which can lead to wood rot and wood infestation problems. If you are looking to sell the property, then this is going to deter any potential buyers.
Rising damp and penetrating damp issues do not fix themselves, so the sooner you can get an expert opinion on the root cause of your damp issue, the better.
Claiming for Damage from Damp on Home Insurance
We’re often asked “does house insurance cover damp?”. The answer to this question is most likely to be ‘no’.
To claim costs for repairs at your house then the damage needs to be caused by one specific event, which rising and penetrating damp don’t tend to fall in to/. This is because damp is generally caused by gradual deterioration in the condition of the building over a number of years.
There are a few insurers who do offer specific cover for rising damp, however, it is always best to carry out regular property maintenance to ensure that there are no expensive costs for treating rising damp in the future.
How to fix your Damp Problem
If your home has signs of rising ad penetrating damp then it is best to contact a damp proofing specialist who is fully qualified.
Fixing the root cause of your damp problem is the only the true way of getting rid of the issue so as not incur expensive costs in the future, which cannot be claimed through home insurance. Contact us now to help ensure the damp problem in your property is properly diagnosed and that you pay a fair price.
The first question that you need to ask yourself if the subject of cavity wall ties has cropped up in conversation, or crossed your mind, is whether or not your home actually has cavity walls.Generally speaking, there’s an incredibly easy way to tell. If your house was built before nineteen twenty, it’ll almost certainly have solid walls, and if it was built after that decade, it will have been built using cavity walls.
However, that question does rely on you knowing, or having a good idea about when your house was built. If you don’t, another sure-fire way to ascertain whether your house has either cavity or solid walls can be done with a quick examination of the exterior brickwork.
Bricks in cavity walls are always laid lengthways, while the brickwork in solid walls tends to have bricks that are laid both lengthways and side-on. Cavity walls were originally developed, and used, to prevent rainwater from seeping through a building and to help prevent occurrences of damp. The gaps between the two layers of brickwork in a cavity wall are also usually filled with an insulating material to make homes more energy-efficient and far cheaper to heat than buildings that have solid walls.
Do I Need A Wall Tie Survey?
While it’s a good idea to have a cavity wall tie survey done, there are visible signs that, if they manifest themselves in your home, you should make an appointment to have your home surveyed as soon as possible. The most obvious visible signs that you at least need a cavity wall survey, and will in all likelihood need to have the cavity home wall ties in your home replaced, are incredibly easy to spot and check.
The signs of cavity wall tie failure include bowing and bulging of the brickwork in the external walls, vertical and horizontal cracking in the external walls (which can be especially pronounced in the mortar), signs of separation and lifting between the roof lintels and the brickwork of the supporting walls, gaps appearing between window reveals and the brickwork and cracks appearing in the render and plasterwork of your homes interior walls.
Any, or a combination, of these visible indicators, are a sign that there is a problem with the cavity walls ties of your property, and that you should book a surveyor to make a complete and thorough assessment as soon as possible.
What Does A Surveyor Look For?
Surveyors will always check the same external signs that made you call them, and will usually spend some time with you talking about any and all of your property’s significant history before beginning their survey.
Once they have the relevant information that they need, a surveyor will use a metal detector to locate the positions of the wall ties (which are usually made from steel coated in a layer of galvanized zinc, although it isn’t uncommon to find wall ties made from iron in homes that we built before 1950) with your property.
After the ties have been located, the surveyor will drill a number of small inspection holes in the mortar close to where the ties are located. These holes are usually no bigger than twelve millimetres wide, which is just large enough to accommodate a borescope, which is basically a camera on the end of a long periscope.
The borescope will enable the surveyor to get a clear image of the wall ties, which he can then assess based on their condition. If the ties are still shiny and appear bright under the camera’s light, it means that they won’t need to be replaced and aren’t in any imminent danger of failing. However, if there is significant rust and signs of damage on the wall ties, the surveyor will then discuss with you, at length, what the next steps will entail.
Why Do Cavity Wall Ties Fail?
Cavity wall ties are usually made from steel, although iron was also used in a lot of buildings prior to nineteen fifty. Both, when subjected to damp conditions over an extended period of time are prone to corrosion, which can cause them to weaken and make them prone to failure.
Even wall ties that were layered with galvanized zine can fail as the layer of coating can break down over time and make the ties as susceptible to damage as uncoated wall ties are.
The location of your property can also be a contributing factor that leads to the failure of cavity wall ties. Properties and homes in coastal areas or which are close to the sea are more prone to wall tie failure, as there is an increased amount of salt in the air which can hasten and contribute to the process of corrosion and failure.
How Often Should Cavity Wall Ties Be Replaced?
Before nineteen eighty, all cavity wall ties were expected to last for the lifetime of the building in which they were fitted. However, since then it has become an established fact within the building industry that wall ties are now only expected to last between fifteen and twenty-five years.
If there are no prominent signs of failure, it is usually recommended that a cavity wall survey is carried out after twenty years and at regular five-year intervals after that if no significant signs of failure have materialized.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Cavity Wall Ties?
The overall cost of having cavity wall ties replaced can vary according to the size, and difficulty of the job that needs to be undertaken. As a general thumb of rule, it costs between five and eight pounds to replace each cavity wall tie, and each square metre of wall usually contains two or three wall ties.
It should be noted, however, that in addition to replacing the wall ties, there may be other costs that need to be taken into account, such as the hire and set-up of scaffolding that might be needed for the cavity wall ties to be replaced. All of these factors will be taken into account whenever a quote for the replacement of cavity wall ties is requested and given.
The purpose of a house survey is to determine whether the property has any structural problems, or any repairs that are needed before the house can be deemed suitable for living in. A qualified chartered property surveyor will study the property, looking for signs of fault and damage.
A house survey, also known as a property survey is a detailed inspection to determine the property’s condition. Such an inspection is put in place in order to find all the faults in the property, and sometimes that can include issues that you may not have even been aware of yourself.
It’s basically a health check for a property. It’s an important part of buying and selling property, since new home owners will want to be assured that their new home is up to current standards.
The beauty of a house survey is that it can be carried out by an independent contractor, rather than by an organisation that is linked to either the buying or the selling of the property. That way you can be assured that the survey report will be completely free of bias.
Some house surveys highlight issues with damp and timber, and we’ll give special attention to that shortly.
When should I get a survey?
It’s not a legal requirement to have a survey on a property you are buying. But it is a very good idea to have one. They can help you avoid expensive and unwanted surprises, like an unexpected rewiring job or dry rot in your walls. And on the flip side, it can also give you peace of mind by showing you that those hairline cracks don’t mean the house is falling down.
If you intend to pay for the house by way of mortgage, then your mortgage lender will require a valuation by a surveyor, to ensure that the property is sufficiently good enough to lend against. The mortgage provider should arrange for a surveyor to value the property within a few days of agreeing the mortgage in principle.
This is often just a superficial survey however, but you can get the survey upgraded, or commission a separate survey.
Although buyers are able to arrange a house survey to be carried out before they put a property up for sale, it just doesn’t happen as often as it should, and it usually falls to the buyer to pay for the survey.
If you have taken a liking to a particular property, and have made an offer, then we strongly recommend that you arrange a survey as soon as possible after the offer has been accepted.
This allows you to make a good, informed decision about whether or not you still want to go ahead and buy the property.
A house survey is particularly valuable if you’re dubious about the condition of the property for any reason, or if it’s an old property, or if it has a thatched roof or is timber framed.
Damp and Timber Surveys
Sometimes your home buyers report will mention issues with damp, rotting timber or timber infestations. The cause and extent of the problem can sometimes be clear for the untrained to see. But other times it takes a qualified expert to spot potential problems with a damp and timber infestation. This way you can be assured that any problems are diagnosed correctly. A general surveyor does not have the expertise to correctly identify the root cause of damp and timber issues, which is why they will recommend you contact a member of the Property Care Association (PCA).
Damp surveys can typically take between 3 to 4 hours to complete, but this can be longer, depending on the building.
Similarly, the cost of the survey will depend on the building as well.
Where a damp and timber survey has been carried out, the report will include a sketch plan detailing if any treatment for damp or condensation, damp proofing, dry rot, or woodworm treatments need to be carried out. Our surveyor will be able to answer any questions that you may have.
Damp report
The surveyor looks at the outside of the property to spot damp ingress. They will look at the roof and rainwater goods, through to the ground floor level. And they will look at subfloor ventilation.
The surveyor determines whether the property already has an existing damp proof course of some sort, and if so identify the type. He or she will then look out for high ground levels which may lead to a bridging of the damp proof course
Inside the house, ground floor walls are also profiled for signs of rising dampness. Throughout the property signs of penetrating damp may be observed. The surveyors will use an electrical conductance moisture meter to identify the moisture profile. This helps to identify the root cause as is different types of damp, display different moisture patterns.
The surveyor will also look into the roof void for signs of dampness, fungal decay or beetle infestation.
Timber report
Where accessible, the surveyor may look for potential timber decay in the roof void. Where permission is granted, carpets will be pulled back on the first floor of the building to be examined for signs of woodworm or fungal decay e.g. dry rot. In addition to the examination of the timbers, the sub floor void will also be looked at, should permission be granted.
What happens once the survey is completed?
Once a damp and timber survey has been carried out, the surveyor will produce a report detailing the condition the house is in. This report can take up to 10 days to come through. A copy of this report is then sent to the conveyancer or qualified lawyer who is handling the title transfer of the property.
If you survey uncovers notable issues, then you can use it to renegotiate the price you’re willing to pay, because you’re not legally bound to buy the property until the point of exchange. All you have to do is say that the survey has identified issues that you were unaware of when you first made the offer and that these issues cost money to be addressed.
If however, you are happy to proceed, then, once your conveyancer has carried out all the necessary checks on the property, you will be asked to read and agree to the terms of your contract.
Contact Us For a Damp and Timber Survey
If you need a damp and timber survey, contact Atlantis Damp today. As a Cheshire based family business, we pride ourselves on the honesty of our reports. If no work needs doing, we will let you know and when treatment is needed, we will work with you to create the best solutions possible. Our honest approach to the thorough assessment of your property always helps our customers to feel that the options available have been thoroughly explained and that they can have confidence that the correct diagnosis and treatment is provided.
In this episode of The A-Z of Damp from Atlantis Damp & Timber Proofing Specialists, A is for…… Anobium punctatum – The Common Furniture Beetle (woodworm).
Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists recently sent our timber specialist surveyor to survey a local property near Cuddington in Cheshire. A grand old coach house with the potential to be a dream home, with parts of the property built as early as 1810. All of the rooms were stripped back to the bare brick to allow for a high quality finish and it was clear to see that the owners were not cutting any corners whilst developing their dream home.
How to Diagnose Woodworm
Once the bare brick and roof timbers were exposed the owners asked Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists to come and survey the timbers and offer their expert opinion.
Our surveyor was able to diagnose the infection by small round exit holes of 1 to 1.5 mm diameter present on some of the roof timbers. He used his expert knowledge to identify if the Common Furniture Beetle (CFB ) was active.
CFB has a breeding season just like many creatures you are familiar with. This is the ‘flight season’ when mature larvae pupate below the surface of your timbers and emerge as beetles to mate and lay eggs. Summer is the season of love, but the period is a bit flexible in houses. This is due to heating and such, so you may get fresh holes anytime between about March, through to September. New holes you see are usually part filled with ‘frass’. Frass is the excrement of woodworm.
Our surveyor also looked for signs such as:
any adult carcasses,
fresh ejected frass,
number and density of the flight holes
After looking for these signs, our surveyor then assessed the risk of leaving the infestation as opposed to treating it. Our examination of the exit holes and the fine bore dust around the holes suggested an active infestation. In addition, we saw that two of the smaller cross beams in the bathroom area were heavily infested and significantly weakened.
Finally, we prepared a detail report containing our diagnosis and recommendations to the Client. Then they confirmed that they were happy to proceed with the work.
What should I look out for in my home?
There are several ways that you can spot and identify a woodworm infestation in your property and these are the signs that our surveyor looked for in the case study above:
Small round exit holes– tiny holes may be noticeable in timber suggesting an active woodworm infestation is present. These flight holes are created when the larvae pupate and hatch into adult beetles, boring their way to the surface of the timber to mate and reproduce.
Fine, powdery dust– woodworm also often leave a trail of bore-dust, known as frass. This will be noticeable near exit holes as the beetles emerge from the wood. The presence of frass would suggest that the woodworm infestation is active and treatment is necessary.
Movement in floorboards / damaged timbers – if you have noticed furniture, flooring or structural timber is noticeably weaker it could be a sign of woodworm.
Beetle activity outside of timber– If you notice beetles emerging from timbers, or dead beetles close to the proximity of holes then you more than likely have a woodworm infestation.
How can I tell if an infestation is active or historical?
It isn’t always easy. You could fill any holes with a shoe polish, wait for the emergence season in spring and then reassess the holes to see if the polish s till there. If it’s gone, your infestation is active. Alternatively, you could tape some paper to the beam or timber, again await for the springtime emergence season and then look to see if the frass mentioned above has collected in the paper.
How can you help me?
Remember, don’t panic if you think you see signs of wood boring insects in your home. At Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists we are committed to using our expertise to ensure that we only recommend the works that need to be done. That could be as little as treating a small area of your under stairs cupboard or replacing a floorboard or two in your lounge. The key thing is… don’t ignore it!
If you have discovered signs of wood boring creatures in your home, don’t delay! Contact Us at Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists. Our expert opinion to ensure accurate diagnosis and solutions to your property problem.
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