History of damp within the property
A dental practice in Port Talbot was our next stop. Our client contacted us as the building had a history of damp and leaks and he wanted to know the extent of the water damage to the building. We agreed to attend the property with the objective of assessing the extent of the water damage, identifying the root cause of the damp and to recommend the appropriate remediation measures.
The property of interest was a two storey semi-detached property. The ground floor consisted of a reception area with a waiting room, one dental surgery, a decontamination room and an office. The first floor of the property consisted of one dental surgery, a waiting room and two store rooms.
Investigating the extent of the damp
When conducting a visual inspection of the property our surveyor found evidence of rising damp (see image above) on an internal wall in the ground floor corridor. In this area there was minor damage to decorative finishes however there was no evidence of fungal contamination. When inspecting the ground floor office and the ground floor corridor, our surveyor found historic water stains. We were made aware of these water stains before we carried out our investigation, so we already know that these were the result of a leak in the upstairs toilet approximately 3 months prior to our visit. This leak was identified and resolved however staining and damage to the plaster remains. Our surveyor investigated this damage further with specialist equipment which revealed that there was normal moisture content within this area.
Our recommendations for historic water damage
All other rooms on the ground floor, first floor and the attic were inspected but there was no evidence of elevated moisture in building materials, water damage or fungal contamination. On completion of our building investigation and damp survey our surveyor only had one recommendation, this was to repair the water damage cause by the historic leak. He recommended that the existing plaster from this area should be removed so a water impermeable coating can be applied to the brick and then re-plastered.
