Winters coming – Damp time?

When i hear about damp (especially Rising damp) I immediately think

RIGSBY!

 

the series about the bumbling landlord & the eclectic mix of tenants.

The regular miss-haps that befell them, the double-entendre’s that are sadly lost in nowadays society & the fantastically funny “romance” between Miss Jones & Mr Rigsby.

All set against a ramshackle building which, to be frank was a perfect setting for “Rising Damp“.

The real Rising Damp is not so funny…

He’s a naughty upstart, who’s a natural “social climber”… He will do his best to attain the headiest heights.. Starting from ground level & creeping up walls, internal & external brickwork, in fact anywhere to get up as high as he can.. Seeking prominence & attaining heights. He needs help though, otherwise he would be anywhere & everywhere…

Technically, he isn’t a “he” at all – forgive me, too many years of watching “the apprentice”. He is a naturally occurring phenomenon called “Capillary Action“. This the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, and in opposition to external forces like gravity – think Paintbrush pulling up paint between their bristles.. or washing up sponge pulling up water.

For many homes affected its simply ground water, which is attracted to the dry bricks & mortar & starts to be pulled into the buildings structure.

Of course, during planning stages this is usually addressed, BUT sometimes nature takes over & the natural thing for the water to do, is rise up via the capillary action if there is a porous material above it. Also, if the damp proof course which was effected during construction is somehow breached (age, works etc) – the “apprentice” I described before will see an opportunity & take it – all guns blazing…

The moisture will move from the outside wall through to inside walls fairly smoothly & this is when the Rising Damp becomes apparent.. plaster becomes soft & wall covering discolour.

The moment you suspect you may have a Rising Damp issue, its best to get a specialist in, such as London Property Preservation, to ensure your problems are identified & dealt with effectively. the walls affected hold onto salts which travel upward with the moisture  as will the internal plaster – so a thorough remedy must be applied.

What to look for:-

Damp patches on external walls

Damp on internal Walls

Wet patches on Wallpaper

The good news is – LPPltd Can & will help.

So – Rigsby, if you had’ve called us, back the, maybe Miss Jones would’ve succumbed a bit quicker,. as your home would’ve been a bit brighter & a LOT dryer!!!

Contact LPP ltd now on 020 8689 0073

Please visit for more info  

   

 

 

Steamy Windows

And I am not talking about Tina Turner…. 

Although, I know that’s the first thing many of us over a certain age thought of; when faced with the words “Steamy Windows“….

A great icon, gyrating & dancing, belting out an anthem of a song…. So you don’t have to think about the real “Steamy Windows” …

You know, the ones, you get during winter, the ones you are trying to avoid thinking about, during the summer..

Ahhhhh Now you know..

This little problem, which you cover by wiping it away as often as you can & by sanding down the chipping & peeling 

paintwork.. possibly painting it over so it looks OK (Until it starts to peel again).

This little problem, you just wish wouldn’t happen…

So why not deal with it now?

Don’t just let it fester….

The air in our homes always contains moisture.. Usually invisible, but sometimes (when boiling a kettle, or a pan) we can get a glimpse of it before its absorbed into the atmosphere of the room.

The problem occurs when this warm, moisture filled air hits something cold & the water re-appears… sadly, this is usually a window & the mist (Sometimes worse still droplets) of water can run downwards & into paintwork, under seals, into tiles etc & mould will grow.  …

London property preservation have advice on the website, to minimise this problem as much as possible, simple hints & tips such as covering pans when cooking, opening windows and avoiding drying clothes indoors can be helpful.

We will of course give more detailed help, if contacted.

The remedy for Condensation issues need not be painful or expensive & if done before you have a major issue, will mean peace of mind & no more soggy paintwork, sooner than you think.

Please contact us for info of fill in the contact form below & we will happily get back to you with details on services/advice we can offer.

Oh & its entirely up to you, if you would like “Tina Turner” on in the background….

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London Property Preservation Limited

Being a small business, we wondered whether a more visual way of explaining our services would be the right way to go.
Damp & its acquaintances such as Dry-Rot, Wet-Rot & Wood worm can be quite hard to explain & sometimes you don’t want to visualise such little horrors…
So we thought a short video may help with explaining the treatments & services we can provide if you are unfortunately visited by one or more of these annoyances.

London Property Preservation are a small, but well managed, damp proofing and timber preservation company, offering unbeatable value for money. We pride ourselves in visiting our prospective clients and offering a full diagnostic report on your issue.

Although we cover the South East of the UK, we have been known to travel further afield, so please get in touch, no matter where you are.

We are also on Local directories such as Freeindex, Yellowleaf & Yelp. 

Follow us on Twitter for us to the minute news @LppLtd

Or be our friend on Facebook for news & reviews.

Please contact us if you require any further information:-

Email @LPP@Rocoja.co.uk

Website – London Property Preservation

Call on 020 8689 0073

Fickle customers & the help they provide

If you are reading this you are well aware that London Property Preservation are using the internet & Social Media Marketing to get information out to our customers.

Information we think you may be interested in, such as humorous takes on some frustrating damp problems, as well as actual information on business trends in the construction industry.

We are aiming to inform as well as entertain & hopefully gain some followers  friends who will remember us if they ever they need the services of a professional damp proof company or associated business.

With this in mind, it’s also an exercise in finding the right directories for this business niche & so far we have had a great response from local directories such as Freeindex, Yellowleaf & Yelp. 

It would be great if you would let us know of any you use yourselves & we will happily look at these to advertise in, or indeed to link with you if you would like?

We have found that our Facebook page is a great tool for advertising events / job vacancies to local people & Twitter is brilliant for directing traffic. So again, if you would like to link-up, please leave a message or follow via either medium & we will of course link-back to you.

Small businesses who are, like us striving to provide a quality service in a niche area are all too aware that word of mouth is now done via “Social Media”, with the customers attention being grabbed or lost within the first few minutes.

We have realised that keeping in touch with customers both old & new is crucial and a great way to nourish new leads, however some customers can be fickle & much like in “real life” will wish to ask a multitude of questions before making a purchase. In some cases never making a purchase…

However we see this as a positive & any questions this customer asks is a god-send as it gives us an insight into what the customers really want to know & we are more than happy to answer these questions, either by via the shorter replies available via Twitter, or if warranted, via a blog post – so Please let us know if YOU have any questions surround Damp Proofing etc which you would like answered & London Property Preservation Limited will do their best to help.

Please contact us if you require any further information:-

Email @LPP@Rocoja.co.uk

Website – London Property Preservation

Call on 020 8689 0073

The Funny side of Damp – Is there one?

I have been speaking with Property owners over the last couple of weeks, not only about Damp & the problems they have with this nasty little irritant, but also about other issues property owners sometimes face.

I was surprised that the over whelming thing that they (especially those whom rent out their properties) say, is “retain a sense of humour at all times”…..

Personally, I know a great sense of humour can get you through many a hard time, BUT what could it possibly have to do with problems with bricks & mortar? So I questioned further & below are a few of the gems that have brought a wry smile to some of our clients faces over the years….

1) A ground floor flat – tenant wrote to the landlord, when asked for more info about the damp within the property:- .

•  “Our Bush is overgrown at the front & we have a damp back passage”

2) A tenant in a home, who wrote about a damp issue in a kitchen-

• “I am writing on behalf on my sink, which is coming away from the wall” 

3) A tenant who had a leaky roof in a toilet-

• “I wish to report that tiles are missing from the roof of the toilet and I think it was bad wind the other night that blew them off.”

4) A tenant who was complaining about a damp issue discovered after taking off wallpaper-

• “50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster and 50% are plain filthy.”
  

I can see the funny side of how these issues are written & lets be honest, as long as the landlords fix the actual underlying issues (The Damps & Rots of this world) a few choicely written double entendre’s never hurt anyone – So how do they ensure they get this part of their obligation to their tenant right?
By using a reputable firm when things go wrong! That’s how.

London Property Preservation Limited has a great reputation & a string of happy clients with references you can check.

Contact us

Contact LPP ltd now on 020 8689 0073

Please visit us via email or the Website for more info  

Facebook – LPPltd

Twitter -LPPLtd

Ghostly goings on – Could this be the reason for your Damp Problem?

I’ve been looking into reasons for damp, other than the obvious no damp proof course, broken DPC, not enough height above ground etc etc & have been a little surprised over some of the answers I have found.

There is a huge field of belief out there that “ghost” mists following old river pathways can cause damp issues in new builds.

Upon further investigation, these ghostly mists have also received blame for damp in old houses where rivers run deeply underground, but the mist still follows over the path the river would’ve run if it was still at ground level.

Living in London, I know first hand that there are many many old waterways which are now covered by “regeneration”. These were waterways, emanating from canals, serving as London’s water supplies over 250 years ago.

Sometimes these canals & underground rivers can be seen on old schematics & deeds, sometimes its just word of mouth or if lucky old photo’s.

In central London, these underground rivers have most definitely caused issues in Victorian built houses, where the problem of rising damp was not even envisaged when the buildings were erected.

So with this in mind I have looked at some stories of these mists & rivers; many people seem to agree that mists will sometimes follow long gone rivers/canals that have been filled in or moved, its almost as though the mist remembers where the path of water was and will continue to form along that pathway….This has been connected to the ghost stories of old where people will have visions of figures walking along roads that may now stand at a different height, so the figures may be only half seen.

It seems that “spirits” travel along paths which may no longer actually be there.

It seems simple now, London & the SE of England is most deffinitely a river centric area, After-all London itself was built up around the Thames for just that reason, ease of movement, trading etc. So why wouldn’t we expect some kind of trade-off to be made. Well as said, many of the buildings that went up hundreds of years ago just were just not built in an era when damp issues were thought about / envisaged – maybe this contributed to the terrible respiratory diseases which were around then? Just a thought….

But now, with the technology we have, regenerative building really should have the right damp course at least, but reading through the media reports, it seems this isn’t always the case.

So if you have any worries, please contact a specialist (NO,  I am not talking about a Psychic or dowser to contact the ghosts or divine the river) I mean a professional damp proofing company.

Contact one who will do a full independent report for you.

That’s where London Property Preservations come in.

However if you think Casper may be to blame,

I am not sure we can help 🙂

Email us here – LPP Email

Website here – www.LondonPropertyPreservation.co.uk

Facebook here – LPPltd

Twitter here – LPPltd

Rising Damp – Is Rigsby alive & well in Surrey & the South East?

Well, The subject I’ve been tasked to tackle is Rising Damp & showing my age a little now, the first thing I thought of was this!

Rising Damp Opening credits  and lets be honest, it did make a fair few of us giggle back then  – the series about the bumbling landlord & the eclectic mix of tenants.

The regular miss-haps that befell them, the double-entendre’s that are sadly lost in nowadays society & the fantastically funny “romance” between Miss Jones & Mr Rigsby.

All set against a ramshackle building which, to be frank was a perfect setting for “Rising Damp“.

The real Rising Damp is not so funny… He’s a naughty upstart, who’s a natural “social climber”… He will do his best to attain the headiest heights.. Starting from ground level & creeping up walls, internal & external brickwork, in fact anywhere to get up as high as he can.. Seeking prominence & attaining heights. He needs help though, otherwise he would be anywhere & everywhere…

Technically, he isn’t a “he” at all – forgive me, too many years of watching “the apprentice”. He is a naturally occurring phenomenon called “Capillary Action“. This the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, and in opposition to external forces like gravity – think Paintbrush pulling up paint between their bristles.. or washing up sponge pulling up water.

For many homes affected its simply ground water, which is attracted to the dry bricks & mortar & starts to be pulled into the buildings structure.

Of course, during planning stages this is usually addressed, BUT sometimes nature takes over & the natural thing for the water to do, is rise up via the capillary action if there is a porous material above it. Also, if the damp proof course which was effected during construction is somehow breached (age, works etc) – the “apprentice” I described before will see an opportunity & take it – all guns blazing…

The moisture will move from the outside wall through to inside walls fairly smoothly & this is when the Rising Damp becomes apparent.. plaster becomes soft & wall covering discolour.

The moment you suspect you may have a Rising Damp issue, its best to get a specialist in, such as London Property Preservation, to ensure your problems are identified & dealt with effectively. the walls affected hold onto salts which travel upward with the moisture  as will the internal plaster – so a thorough remedy must be applied.

What to look for:-

 

 

 

 

Damp patches on external walls

Damp on internal Walls

Wet patches on Wallpaper

The good news is – LPPltd Can & will help.

So – Rigsby, if you had’ve called us, back the, maybe Miss Jones would’ve succumbed a bit quicker,. as your home would’ve been a bit brighter & a LOT dryer!!!

Contact LPP ltd now on 020 8689 0073

Please visit us via email or the Website for more info  

Facebook – LPPltd

Twitter -LPPLtd