Looking to buy house with rising damp - Chances the joists are rotten?

[Spetznaaz]

Hello,

Me and my Partner are looking to buy a house (Welsh stone built, cavity floor) and the one we like has some rather severe rising damp problems, among other things. The damp seems to be on all internal walls and appears to be an issue for the whole street as you can see a discoloration on the outside walls and some properties have had an injectable DPC put in (which i thought did not work for stone walls). I've read on some sites saying rising damp is rarely the case and it's usually due to something else - In the survey on our current house, which only has a tiny bit of rising damp in the corner, the surveyor wrote a solution would be to reinstate the fireplaces, logic being these houses were built to breathe naturally through the action of the fire and weren't built with a dpc because they weren't needed... I'm not sure. It does look like it's got worse since the photos were taken, due to the house being empty i'd imagine.

My two main concerns are what if the damp can't be fixed due to there being a spring or something right underneath the house (i imagine getting there, pulling back the floorboards and seeing puddles) and what the chances are all the beams are rotting away.

If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated :)

[dewaltdisney]

My advice is to walk away it sounds like a nightmare. You will convince yourself it can be fixed and will be okay but it will cost a lot and will always be an issue hanging over the property.

DWD

[Someone-Else]

I'm not sure. It does look like it's got worse since the photos were taken, due to the house being empty i'd imagine.

Now you know why it is for sale.

But as dewaltdisney says, move on, more trouble than it is worth.

[Rorschach]

Rising damp is really just damp coming from the ground as opposed to another location. Older buildings as you say were built in the knowledge that ventilation from open fires would more than outweigh any damp issues. In modern times though the old solutions are neither economically viable nor comfortable to live with. You can use forced air ventilation combine with heat recovery which might well deal with the bulk of the problem but you will still have dead air spots leading to damp and mould build up.

Personally, while the problems can be solved, it's costly and best suited to those with deep pockets, my advice, buy another house.

[Spetznaaz]

Thanks for the replies guys. I understand you guys saying to move on and it's going to be a lot of trouble but to be fair i would ask, how can you say that without knowing the prices involved... let's say the house was in London and still 90K... well i'd say anyone would be mad to not get it. Okay it's nowhere near London but it is about 30k less than what it could sell for if it didn't have the issues it has. I admit i have little knowledge on renovating however there's plenty of people that would tell me not to do certain jobs on my car but what i've realised, there's a lot more that can be done oneself than some people would have you believe. Yes, cars and houses are two very different things but the point is - Is rising damp really such a huge thing that one should not buy the house they like because of it.. especially considering it is quite a bit under market value?

The problem is, we live deep in a Welsh valley and it's really depressing. We are both from big cities (Bristol and London) and desperately want to move closer to civilisation and nearer family. We both feel so isolated here. We've just accepted an offer for 95k on ours and have realised there's nothing about that wouldn't be a downgrade and they are all still in the Welsh valleys - The only one in this area we can afford is the damp one.

Regarding the damp getting worse since the house is empty - I would personally see that as a good sign. It shows the house not being aired is a major contributing factor. The house is also a repossessed ex student house meaning corporate sale meaning possibility of being outbid any time up until exchange of contracts.. so yeah another big issue.

So, is rising damp really that big of an issue that we 100 percent should not even consider it? We have seen some pretty damp houses in our time, ones with water dripping off the walls, where you walk in and nearly suffocate from the smell of mould (couldn't see much mould in the house we like) but this place was no where near as bad.

I can post pics if that makes any difference. Also to add, we should hopefully be able to borrow 10k towards repairs from my partners father.

Thanks!

[dewaltdisney]

Well, we did not know the background and you have made your position clearer now. I can understand that you are in a difficult position and that motivates you to take on a project like this. Yes, you can do most things with proper research and tackling the problems in a methodical way. I think that much will depend on your willingness to live on a building site for a time and of course this could be in winter. Do lots of research now as the time spent is seldom wasted, and work out what tools you will need. I would think an SDS drill/chisel will be a must. Screwfix does a Titan one for £60 which will do lots of the potential jobs.

Good luck with it.

DWD

[kellys_eye]

Without access to a crystal ball in the financial world it sounds to me like an ideal project for a proficient DIYer - it certainly wouldn't deter me!

In the current financial climate I'd be concerned though.....