Penetrating Damp Treatment in Kirkintilloch

Richardson & Starling hosted a Facebook competition where people had a chance to win free property repair works worth up to £1000. Entrants had to submit images of their property problems which were later published on our Facebook page for voting. Penetrating damp treatment works captured in this case study were carried out to the winning problem – severe penetrating damp damage caused by faulty roofing works.

The winner of the competition Danielle from Kirkintilloch was a first-time buyer who had to pay twice to have her roof and roughcasting fixed after the first roofing contractor took her money and did not finish the job. This left Danielle in a difficult situation where she had to save up again to have the damp problem affecting the plaster over her lounge window repaired. Luckily Danielle won our competition and got this problem sorted for free!

Problem

Rainwater always following the path of least resistance. In this case, damaged roof coverings allowed water to penetrate the property and damage the internal wall plaster and decoration. Images displayed below show how penetrating damp affected the internal paintwork and even caused condensation and black mould growth on the wall. Damp and mould issues are not simply unsightly, but they also generate a damp musty smell that makes it even harder to live with this problem.

Lastly, not that many people know this, but problems such as penetrating or rising damp can negatively affect your property even further. Once damp penetrates the property envelope, it can dampen structural timbers and create perfect conditions for dry or wet rot germination. Once rot starts to spread it can significantly impact the structural integrity of any property.

Solution | Penetrating Damp Treatment

Once our property damp surveyors investigated the cause and the scale of the damp problem, a simple, 3-step repair method was specified:

Removing Affected wall fabric
Our technicians removed the affected internal wall plaster across the whole of the exterior wall.

Applying a Waterproofing Membrane
The stripped wall surface was covered with a waterproofing membrane that creates an impermeable damp proofing barrier preventing any future damp penetration affecting the repaired area while the property is drying out.

It is important to know that a damp wall can take a long time to dry out. If the wall was simply re-plastered or just repainted, damp captured in the wall would soon penetrate the new layer of plaster and regenerate the unsightly damp problem. A plastic waterproofing membrane prevents this from happening.

Re-plastering the Area
The repaired wall was then covered with a fresh layer of renovating plaster making this property ready for redecoration.

Benefits

The implemented penetrating damp solution has converted this damp, musty lounge into a warm and cosy living space. The room was redecorated and looked as good as it had been before the damp penetration caused the deterioration within the property.

With the unsightly mould growth, damp marks and musty smell being in the past, Danielle was now able to sell the property and move into her new dream home.

Here’s what Danielle had to say about her experience:

“I was the Richardson & Starling property SOS winner. I had a wall badly damaged with penetrating water due to an uncompleted roofing and roughcasting job in which the tradesman ran off with my money. I had to pay for the external works twice, so it left me with absolutely no funds to fix the damage to the walls inside of my home. Thanks to Richardson & Starling and all the people who voted for me, I won the competition and was able to have my repairs done. Winning a simple competition has majorly impacted my life, as it had been my intention to sell the property once I had the roughcasting completed. However, the damage done to the wall caused by the penetrating damp made me think I would not be able to sell my property any time soon.

Thanks to Richardson & Starling I was able to move into my new dream house. I want to thank them again for making my dreams a reality, and let people know they should enter these competitions, you can win! I will definitely be getting in touch with the R&S team if any work is needed to my new home.” Danielle, KirkintillochIf you have any questions about this or any other penetrating damp treatment contracts completed in Kirkintilloch, Bishopbriggs, Motherwell, Hamilton or Lanark areas, then feel free to get in touch with our Glasgow branch specialists | (0141) 647 9485

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