Damp Keeps Reappearing…. HELP!

As featured in the Sunday Times, July 4th 2021

Question:

We live in an old artisan cottage in Dublin city centre. There is a dark, mouldy looking patch on the inside front wall. I have had damp proof coursing put in and painted it with mould-resistant paint, but it still comes back. What should we do?

Answer:

In the case of any damp and mould the recommended starting point is a damp survey, it is the only way to ensure accurate diagnosis to identify the source cause(s). There are many different types of damp that can exist in Irish properties and quite often the symptoms can look quite similar. So you need to know what exact type of damp is present before taking more action. A reputable damp proofing company can do that. Be wary of companies offering free surveys. You need a company whose surveyors have relevant qualifications in construction engineering or building surveying as well as experience. Furthermore, these surveyors must be fully trained/ able to diagnose all types of Damp otherwise you narrow your search and run the risk of inaccurate solutions – inaccuracy may be the reason for poor performance of the current solutions. Also, it should be a legal entity to ensure that warranties and guarantees can be honoured if necessary. Proven experience is essential, if you are unsure, check out the customer reviews. Errors and incorrect information will cost you more in the long run as what was initially a superficial fix can turn to a large scale structural project overtime if left untreated correctly. Remember that professional damp surveys correctly carried out can save a lot of money in the long run and less headache… you need to hire the best damp proofing company!

When employing a damp proofing company, it is important that they meet the following criteria:

Checklist for diagnosing Damp & Mould:

Ability to Comprehensively Diagnose – Surveyors should be capable of diagnosing across all types of damp and mould problems and have sufficient training to do so. You don’t need the expense and hassle associated with additional damp and mould issues arising after you have completed your renovation project. This happens a lot!
Indepth Building Knowledge – Surveyors should have relevant qualifications in Construction Engineering/Building surveying. This is important as your surveyors need an high level of understanding in terms of what your specific buildings needs are – and what specific solutions will work best in this setting. It’s important to note that certain solutions will not be effective in certain buildings.
Experience – Sufficient experience in diagnosing and treating all types of Damp & Mould.
Trustworthy – Experienced providers who can demonstrate that they are trustworthy e.g. working with state entities such as the main housing bodies and County Councils etc.
Impartial advice – Tell you what’s actually there – Free of charge surveys are not impartial advice- Errors and incorrect information will cost you more!
Registered Company – Make sure the company is a registered company – the company that you employ should be a legal entity to ensure that warranties and guarantees can be honoured if needed.
Easy to read reports – Nontechnical, to allow you to fully understand the issues and what you need to do.
Good results – Look at the customer reviews!

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We called “Damp Doctor” after we found their company on the internet. We wanted to see if we could make use of an old basement in our home that was always damp and filled with mould for as long as i can remember. Colin visited our home and spent 2 hours advising us of our options and answering all our questions and concerns. He came back with a very competitive quote and later that summer we began the work. From start to finish took about 3 weeks and the result was spectacular. Its as if we found a whole new area of the house we never knew existed. It worked out much cheaper than an extension (which wasn’t an option anyway) and now we have a huge new lounge room that my boys use, which in turn gives me and my husband more time to ourselves.

Margaret, Dublin 12.20-08-2018

The “Dampdoctor” was recommended to us by our local builder after a flooding incident in one of our rental properties. We received a prompt response and quotation and within 3 days the remedial work was underway. Colin even handled the insurance claim for us so in the end the stress to ourselves was minimal. I would highly recommend the “Damp Doctor” to all my friends.

Deirdre, Dublin 4.11-03-2018

A massive thank you to all the team for actually doing exactly what they said they were going to do. Which unfortunately is not something you can take for granted these days. I’d definitely recommend Dampdoctor to anyone with Damp or Condensation problems in their home.

Martin, Co. Wexford.13-07-2018

We first got in contact with “The Damp Doctor” after a friend of ours recommended them to us. We were nervous about the whole process as we didn’t have any real idea about the different stages involved. Colin broke everything down for us and gave us a detailed written report and quotation. The work progressed very quickly and was thankfully stress free for us. We can’t thank you enough for helping restore our home to its former glory, once again.

Suzanne, Co. Carlow.09-01-2018

Over the years I have had more than a few companies look at the damp problem and received conflicting advice so was unsure as to who actually knew what the correct solution was. Colin from the “Damp Doctor” visited, answered all my questions (I had loads of them!), was very knowledgeable and came up with the best solution. As a company “Damp Doctor” have been great, they are very pleasant, tidy and thorough which was great as they had to work around me and my family for the 6 days the work took. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them.

Sarah, Co. Kildare.02-09-2017

We kept getting nasty mould and mildew in the bathroom on the ceiling and around the window. We assumed it was down to the shower. But when the winter came we started getting it around all the windows in every bedroom and was terrible in the baby’s room. So we called Dampdoctor, after a quick chat they arranged a professional survey for the following week. The guys came out and installed new ventilation in the house that cured the problem straight away. Thanks very much to everyone at Dampdoctor.

Michael R, Co. Wicklow.21-01-2019

Rang them up, Booked my survey, Inspector was out the next week, Fixed all the damp the following week. What can I say? Top class service. Would highly recommend.

Damien, Co Kildare28-09-2019

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