Damp surveys in Hull & East Yorkshire.

What the survey involves

What happens during a damp survey.

We look at the whole picture rather than pointing a meter at one wall. A typical survey covers:

• Moisture readings across the affected walls and nearby unaffected areas, so we can see how far the damp goes and how it changes with height.
• The pattern of the damp: where it sits, its shape, any tide marks or salt staining, and whether it follows a pipe, a window or a corner.
• An outside inspection of gutters, downpipes, pointing, render, window sills, the damp-proof course line and the ground level against the walls.
• Ventilation and humidity: extractor fans, trickle vents, heating and how the rooms are used, since condensation is one of the most common causes of damp and mould.
• A talk with you about when the damp appears, whether it’s worse in wet weather or in winter, and any work done on the house before.

Moisture meters are a useful guide but can give misleading readings on their own, for example on walls with salts or foil-backed wallpaper. That’s why we don’t diagnose from readings alone.

Telling damp apart

Rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation?

Rising damp is ground moisture drawn up through the wall where the damp-proof course has failed, been bridged or was never there. It usually sits low on ground-floor walls, often with a tide mark and salt staining, and doesn’t change much with the weather. Read more about rising damp treatment.

Penetrating damp is water getting in from outside through defects in the building: failed pointing, leaking gutters, cracked render or high ground levels. It can appear at any height, is often patchy and usually gets worse after rain. Read more about penetrating damp repairs.

Condensation is moisture from inside the house (cooking, washing, drying clothes, breathing) settling on cold surfaces. It shows up as streaming windows and black mould in corners, behind furniture and on outside walls, and is usually worst in winter. Read more about condensation control.

Some homes have more than one of these at once. The report will say so, and deal with each one separately.

The written report

What’s in your written report.

After the survey you get a written report that covers:

• Where we found damp and the readings we took
• What we believe is causing it, and why
• Photos of the affected areas and any defects outside
• What we recommend, in order of priority, including simple fixes you can do yourself
• A quote for any work you’d like us to carry out, including replastering and making good

A damp survey costs £119. If you go ahead with treatment, the £119 is deducted from the cost of the work when you accept our quote.

One firm for the whole job

We do the replastering and making good ourselves.

If the survey shows work is needed, we can carry it out from start to finish: the damp treatment itself, then hacking off and replastering, making good around sockets and fittings, and decorating if you want us to.

That means one firm, one point of contact and one price, with no gap between the damp work finishing and a separate plasterer or decorator turning up. See our plastering and decorating services for more on that side of the work.

On the survey

Finding out what the damp is doing.

AI-generated illustration

Images marked “AI-generated illustration” show typical damp problems and repairs. They aren’t photos of our own work, and we’ll replace them with photos from real jobs as they’re completed.

Frequently asked questions

Damp survey FAQs.