Damp surveys in Boston
Every damp problem in Boston has a cause, and the fixes only work when the cause is named correctly. A survey is how you avoid paying for the wrong treatment.
Damp in a fenland town is rarely mysterious, but it is often misread. Ground moisture from the silt, condensation from a sealed-up house and rain through a tired wall can all leave similar stains, and each demands a different remedy. The survey exists to separate them with evidence: readings, moisture profiles and a proper look at the building, inside and out.
Boston's stock makes this worth doing carefully. A pre-1900 solid-wall terrace near the town centre behaves nothing like a 1960s cavity-wall semi further out, and a building inside the conservation area near St Botolph's and the Market Place may need breathable materials specified rather than modern barriers. A surveyor who works these streets every week reads them faster and more accurately than a checklist.
When to book a survey
- Unexplained damp patches, tide marks or recurring mould
- Buying a house and the mortgage valuation flags damp or holds a retention
- A musty smell or springy floorboards suggesting trouble under the floor
- After flooding or a major leak, to check what moisture and salts remain in the walls
- A landlord responding to a tenant's damp and mould complaint
- Before spending on a damp proof course someone else has recommended
What the survey covers
| Stage | What is done |
|---|---|
| External inspection | Ground levels, damp course line, pointing, render, gutters, downpipes, chimneys, air bricks |
| Internal readings | Moisture meter profiles on affected walls, checks behind furniture and at skirting level |
| Cause diagnosis | Rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, plumbing leak or a combination, stated plainly |
| Timber check | Skirtings, joist ends and any accessible sub-floor timbers for rot or beetle activity |
| Written report | Findings, recommended works in priority order, and a quote for anything the specialist would carry out |
Honest scope, stated plainly
The survey is carried out by the damp specialist who would also quote for any remedial work, and you should weigh the recommendations with that in mind. Two things keep it honest. First, the report separates findings from prices, so you can take the diagnosis to any contractor you like. Second, where the answer is a maintenance job or a ventilation habit rather than specialist work, the report says so.
See also: rising damp treatment, penetrating damp, condensation and mould, timber and woodworm.
Book a damp inspection in Boston
Weekday and Saturday appointments across the borough, including Kirton, Wyberton and Swineshead.
Request a survey