I was instructed to undertake a damp survey last week as a\nsecond opinion to a prior inspection. The client had already instructed a free report\nand had been quoted five thousand pounds to remove the kitchen, damp proof and\nre-plaster the walls behind. Their justification being that apparently the\nkitchen walls were damp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The client\u2019s complaint was throughout winter they suffer\nfrom moisture within the kitchen corner cupboard which can affect their stored food\nstuffs. Their perception was perhaps the wall behind was damp which was causing\nthe dampening within the cupboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Providing your own diagnosis \/ opinion to a company which\nundertakes a free survey is asking for trouble. The company after undertaking a\nsurvey agreed with the client\u2019s diagnosis therefore provided a quotation for\nrepair. It was the cost of the repair which prompted the client to obtain a\nsecond opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After carrying out a very through survey of the property, I was able to inform the client that the work specified was unnecessary, the kitchen walls were in-fact dry. I proved this using multiple methods however, also backed this analysis up by removing a very difficult mortar sample from the first available mortar joint above floor level from directly beneath the kitchen units. The results of the test confirmed my analysis at 2.4%, the wall was in fact dry. The cause which is not that uncommon is high humidity behind the cupboard adjacent the kitchen rear wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be honest any basic understanding of psychometrics or\nmoisture in buildings would steer you towards this conclusion. If a wall were\nsupposedly wet enough to create such an atmospheric imbalance within a cupboard,\nthe wall wouldn\u2019t be wet it would be soaking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may have cost the customer \u00a3150.00 for our survey however\nthat\u2019s a huge saving of \u00a34850.00!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dryfix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/13-2-1024x683.jpg\")