Service
Damp proofing in Weston-super-Mare & North Somerset
Rising damp, penetrating damp and water ingress left untreated will spoil plaster, rot timber and feed mould. We find the source and deal with it properly.
The three problems people call “damp”
“Damp” is a symptom, not a diagnosis. In older homes around here it almost always comes down to one of three causes, or a combination:
- Rising damp, ground moisture drawn up through the wall base where there is no working damp-proof course. Usually below about a metre, with a tide mark and salt deposits.
- Penetrating damp, water getting in from outside through defective pointing, cracked render, a failed roof, blocked gutters or around windows. Can appear at any height and often tracks the weather.
- Condensation, moisture from everyday living condensing on cold surfaces, typically showing as black spot mould in corners, behind furniture and around windows.
Each needs a different fix. Treat the wrong one and the damp comes straight back, so we never quote treatment without surveying first.
What a Damptech damp proofing job involves
We survey the property inside and out, take calibrated moisture and salt readings, and use thermal imaging or a drone roof survey where it helps pin down the source. You then get a written diagnosis and a quote for the specific work needed, which may include:
- Rising damp diagnosis and chemical damp-proof course injection
- Penetrating damp repairs, pointing, render, flashing and rainwater goods
- Heavy-duty damp-proof membrane installation to walls below ground or badly contaminated
- Salt-retardant replastering, or breathable lime plaster on older solid-wall properties
- Condensation control advice and ventilation improvements
Older homes need a gentler approach
A lot of the North Somerset housing stock, Victorian terraces in Weston-super-Mare, stone cottages around Cheddar and Axbridge, period villas in Clevedon and Portishead, was built to breathe. Sealing a solid wall with dense cement render or gypsum plaster can trap moisture and make things worse. Where that’s the case we use breathable materials and deal with the water getting in, rather than forcing a modern tanking approach onto a building that can’t cope with it.
If there’s nothing to treat, we’ll tell you
Plenty of our survey visits end with advice rather than a quote, a gutter to clear, a bathroom fan to run, some ground level to lower. We’d rather you fixed a £20 problem yourself than paid us for treatment you didn’t need.
Where we treat damp proofing
Common questions
How do I know which type of damp I have?
You often can’t tell by eye, rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation can all look similar. That’s what the survey is for: moisture readings at different heights, salt analysis and thermal imaging separate them. See our guides on signs of rising damp and condensation vs penetrating damp.
Will I need the walls replastered?
Only where the plaster is contaminated with ground salts or has broken down. Where the plaster is sound, we treat the cause and leave it. We never replaster as standard just to inflate the job.
Do you do the replastering too, or just the damp treatment?
Both. Where a wall needs replastering after treatment, we do it as part of the job, so you get the wall back skimmed and ready to decorate, not left as bare brick.
Do you guarantee the work?
Yes. Treatment work is covered by a written, insurance-backed guarantee of 10 to 30 years, depending on the work. The guarantee covers the treatment, not new, unrelated defects such as a future roof leak.
How much mess is involved?
Where replastering is needed there is dust and disruption for a day or two per room. We sheet up, clear up daily and take waste away.
Think you have damp proofing trouble?
Call or request a callback and we'll arrange a proper look at the problem.