Damp Proofing Treatments in Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex

It isn't always obvious at first. You might notice a bit of a musty smell when you walk into a room, or see white, crusty salt patches appearing on your internal walls. Other common signs in local homes include peeling wallpaper, skirting boards that feel soft or look wavy, and black mould spots in the corners of the ceiling. Because Southwick is so close to the coast, the damp sea air can sometimes make these issues feel worse. It is always best to catch these signs early before they cause real damage to your timber or plaster.

When we visit your home for a survey, we are looking to find exactly where the moisture is coming from. We don't just guess; we use moisture meters to check the levels inside your walls and take a close look at the outside of the building. We check for things like cracked pipes, blocked gutters, or damaged brickwork that might be letting water in. Our goal is to give you a clear, honest picture of what is happening. We focus on practical Adur property repairs that solve the problem rather than just covering it up.

Yes, as long as the work is done correctly. Many older Victorian and Edwardian houses in West Sussex were built without a modern damp proof course, which allows water from the ground to soak up into the walls. As West Sussex damp specialists, we fix this by injecting a special cream into the mortar joint that creates a new waterproof barrier. Once we have removed the old, salt-damaged plaster and replaced it with a specialist render, your walls will stay dry. It is a reliable way to make an old house feel warm and dry again.

The main difference is the direction the water is travelling. Rising damp comes from the ground and usually only reaches about a metre up the wall. Penetrating damp is water getting in from the outside, often because of a fault in the building’s exterior. In Southwick, heavy wind-driven rain can be forced through tiny cracks in old render or gaps around window frames. We will identify which one is affecting your home during our visit so we can apply the right fix.

Condensation is one of the most common issues we see, especially in the winter. It happens when steam from cooking or showering hits a cold wall or window and turns back into water. While it isn't a structural leak, it can still lead to black mould and a damp atmosphere. We can show you how to improve the airflow in your home, perhaps by installing better extractor fans or vents. Sometimes, adding insulated plasterboard to an external wall can also help by making the surface warmer and less likely to collect moisture.

Not always. People often worry that damp proofing involves a huge amount of mess and construction, but that is rarely the case. Sometimes the fix is quite simple once we find the leak. It might just be a case of repairing a bit of external pointing or clearing a blocked cavity. We take a lot of pride in being tidy, making sure we protect your carpets and furniture while we work and leaving the place clean once the job is finished.