Damp proofingin Surreydiagnosed and guaranteed

Where the water table is high, a cellar or lower-ground room is dealing with hydrostatic pressure, and only a properly designed waterproofing system will keep it dry. That means either cementitious tanking bonded to sound masonry to act as a barrier, or a cavity drain membrane system that accepts water and manages it to a perimeter drainage channel and then to a sump and pump.

Along the river, pumped discharge is often unavoidable because gravity drainage is not available at the required level. Where that is the case the pump is sized for the volume the space actually takes, and we discuss maintenance and the consequences of power loss honestly rather than glossing over them.

Junctions, penetrations and floor-to-wall returns are the failure points in every basement system, so those details are installed as part of the accredited specification. Damp-sealing paint is not a substitute.

In Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas, the classic pattern is a tide mark at a fairly even height with salt bloom, hollow plaster and soft skirting backs. Where the survey confirms a failed or missing damp proof course, we inject a new chemical DPC using an accredited Sovereign or Wykamol system, remove the contaminated plaster and replaster with a salt-retardant system.

Before that we check for bridging, raised terraces, paths, render carried past the DPC, or rubble in a cavity, because on landscaped Surrey plots that is a frequent finding and a smaller, cheaper job to put right.

Property that has taken flood water holds moisture deep in masonry and plaster, and the water usually leaves salts behind. Replastering too early locks moisture in and the new finish fails.

The sequence that works is removing contaminated plaster, allowing the structure to dry, then replastering with a salt-retardant system and making good. We set that out at survey so expectations about timescales are realistic.

Where damp follows heavy rain, the cause is on the outside: eroded pointing, cracked or debonded render, defective sills, perished sealant at openings, or rainwater goods discharging onto the wall.

We repoint in mixes suited to the masonry, repair or renew render, replace spalled brick, reinstate drip details and correct gutters and downpipes. Where movement has cracked the wall, helical brick stitching restores it and closes the water path.

Our Surrey coverage focuses on the north of the county and the Thames corridor, and we also work across London and West London, Middlesex and Harrow, Brent, Watford, Slough, Buckinghamshire and High Wycombe.

Calls are answered Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm, and surveys tied to a sale, remortgage or tenancy are prioritised where we can.