This small property had a cellar that was being rendered useless by water coming into it from the rear garden. A simple solution was found that didn't break the bank - although it did create more space! 

Another unuseable cellar..  

This one was in a small, through terraced house in Barnsley.  Its problems had been ignored for years by previous owners, who seemed to prefer placing pallets on the floor rather than effecting a more useful cure.  I went back to see it in February 2006, approximately five months after my first visit; and the new owners had done what was suggested.  Result?  Although it will never be a 'playroom' for the kids, it's now perfectly useable, and dampness in other parts of the house, especially the kitchen above, is far less of a problem.  The water removal was achieved by the use of a small pump, sitting in a plastic sump and operted by a float switch.  This ony cost around £120.00 and was well worth the money.

Property   Barnsley

Instructions: To inspect the property and report upon any issues of dampness.

Background: The clients have recently purchased the property and require advice on issues raised in a building society report, especially with regard to dampness on the ground floor.

Disclosures: I am not aware of any affiliation, financial or otherwise, with the client or the property.

Limitations: Limited to an inspection for dampness. Timbers were not included unless affected by dampness. The roof space was not examined.

Restrictions: Nil

Date of Survey October 2005

Weather: Fine

Viewing Orientation: All observations are made as if looking towards the house from the front.

Type of Property: Mid terraced property with stone front under a blue slate roof. The accommodation is on two floors with a small cellar to the rear. PVCu double-glazing and gas fired central heating.

External Observations: The northerly facing front wall of the property, which is approximately 14 inches in thickness, is pointed, coursed local stone with a brick internal leaf and there are signs of an injection damp proofing course (dpc) having been installed.

There is no of mastic to the bathroom window.

At the rear, the wall is solid 9-inch brickwork and here too there are signs of an injection dpc.

There are two airbricks in the rear wall, which serve the cellar. Viewed from the front, the right hand airbrick is partially blocked by a timber baulk that supports a fall pipe. I suspect that there is a 'splash-over' from this fall pipe that overflows into the cellar.

At the time of my visit, the over-pressure vent on the boiler was operating and discharging water down the wall. I do not think this is an ongoing problem.

Internal Observations: There is no mechanical ventilation in the bathroom.

There were no visible signs of dampness in the front room of the property.

Moisture meter readings were taken throughout this room and recorded as Wood Moisture Equivalent readings (WME). These readings were acceptable on the two party walls and the rear wall but gave higher WME readings on the front wall. This is most probably due to condensation having formed due to the fact that this wall faces in a northerly direction and receives little radiated heat from the sun.

In the kitchen, units obscured the dividing wall and the rear wall but, beneath a worktop on the party wall, where a washing machine has been sited, there are stains and slight efflorescence. This is a result of condensation caused by the washing machine and also as a result of conditions in the cellar, which are referred to later. Furthermore, the floor in this room appears to be of a recently applied sand and cement screeding, placed directly on top of the floorboards beneath. It may be that a damp proofing membrane of some sort has been laid beneath the screed but I could not determine this.

The wall adjacent to the cellar steps is showing marked signs of dampness in the form of staining and efflorescence. WME readings were exceptionally high in this wall.

There is no mechanical ventilation in the kitchen.

The cellar was inspected with difficulty owing to the amount of debris left by the previous owner. This included household items; building waste and also the presence of rotting and broken pallets that had been placed on the floor in an effort to provide 'dry' flooring.

It is apparent that water enters this cellar from the rear elevation and settles on the floor. I could not see to what depth owing to debris.

The ventilation that should be provided by the two airbricks in the rear wall is totally inadequate.

The ceiling timbers, which also provide the floor for the kitchen above, have been repaired in the past. These repairs have been effected by placing a lateral timber bearer against the front wall and mounting it in the party walls on either side. Where this bearer rests on the party walls, the moisture content (MC) of the timbers is well past saturation point; indeed a reading in excess of 80 per cent was recorded to the right hand edge at the bottom of the cellar steps. In a small fuel storage area to the far side of the cellar, it was possible to see that the floorboards of the kitchen above are rotten.

Discussion: Although there were high WME readings in the front wall of the property, this is almost certainly due to condensation, which readily occurs on northerly facing walls, especially in rooms with blocked fireplaces and PVCu double-glazed windows.

The main cause for concern is the cellar area, and this is presently causing severe problems for the kitchen walls and flooring. Also, the recent addition of a screed, placed on top of this flooring, will have exacerbated the problem to a degree where it is now endangering the structure of the floor itself.

The water entering the cellar is probably a long-term and ongoing event and the property has coped with it, albeit with difficulty, for a long time. However, it is now reaching the stage where the high relative humidity this condition causes is affecting the flooring timbers of the kitchen as well as encouraging moisture to rise in the kitchen walls. It may be that this has happened before and that is why the repairs to the flooring joists have been carried out. However, it seems that this was a symptomatic cure rather than one that addressed the cause.

There are many ways in which cellars can be rendered waterproof but these are usually expensive and may not be cost effective in this instance. Accordingly, it would probably be better to attempt more simplistic cures and re-assess the problem when these have had time to take effect.

The first stage is to clear the cellar completely so that the full nature of the problem can be quantified. If the water that enters from the rear is making the cellar unusable, then you may wish to create a sump at its lowest point and install a small pump, discharging to the outside. Perhaps the use of a plastic box, large enough to contain the pump, could be employed as the sump. A screed should then be placed over the remainder of the floor so that it drains towards the box.

The pump could be manually operated as required or a float switch could be employed. Perhaps you may care to seek the services of an electrician or plumber in this instance.

When a satisfactory resolution of the water ingress problem is achieved your attention should be directed to a quantum improvement in ventilation. I could not see daylight through the left hand ventilation brick and suspect it is either blocked or badly installed. There is also a baulk of timber in front of the right hand brick and this too is impeding air circulation.

Notwithstanding that these two bricks may possibly be made clear, I do not think that natural ventilation will ever be sufficient in this area and I would recommend you install a good quality extractor fan in the rear wall, ducted through into the cellar. This should be controlled by a humidistat that samples the relative humidity within the cellar itself.

Once the above methods are in place then a re-assessment of moisture content in the timbers should be undertaken and a decision on chemical treatment should then be made. I would recommend that this be carried out within six months of the completion of the required works.

The screed placed on top of the kitchen floor is an error. It will seal in moisture beneath and ensure that the timbers are suffering even more from the high humidity in the cellar. Consequently it should be removed and an assessment made on the quality of the boards beneath. It may be that these too need replacing, certainly in the area where the washing machine once stood.

I cannot understand why it (screed) was applied in the first place but perhaps it was in order to achieve a more satisfactory level. Whatever, perhaps the use of proprietary flooring grade chipboard would have been more appropriate.

Conclusions: Install mechanical ventilation in both the bathroom and the kitchen.

Remove the sand and cement screeding from the kitchen floor and assess the condition of the timbers beneath (if you require further assistance with this, please contact me).

Install ventilation in the cellar as outlined above.

Dependent upon the level of standing water, install a sump and electrically operated pump in the cellar.

I trust the above is satisfactory for your purposes but if you require further clarification please do not hesitate to contact me.

Surveyor: Patrick F Doyle CSRT M. Inst. R.T.S.

Qualifications Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments issued by the BWPDA.

Date of Report October 2005

Signed: Surveyor