What a proper survey covers
- The inside first. Every affected room, the height and edge of each patch, and whether salts are present.
- Meter readings in a pattern, at several heights and with a control point elsewhere in the same room.
- The outside of the same walls. Ground levels, whether the DPC is bridged by a raised bed or paving, the state of pointing and plaster, sills, and where downpipes discharge.
- The roof and rainwater goods, at least visually — an overflowing gutter produces damp that looks exactly like wall penetration.
- The roof space where there is one.
- Ventilation. Extractors, whether they vent outside or into the roof, airbricks, and whether any have been blocked or covered.
- Questions about behaviour and history. When it appeared, whether it tracks the weather, what work has been done before.
What the report should contain
- The cause, stated plainly — not just the symptom
- The evidence for that conclusion, including the readings and where they were taken
- What was ruled out, and why
- The recommended system, named, with the extent of work measured
- Anything that needs doing first — drainage, ground levels, gutters
- What is excluded
A report you can hand to a second contractor for an independent opinion is a good report. One that only makes sense as an order form is not.
Warning signs
- A diagnosis of rising damp without a level tide mark or salts. The most over-diagnosed fault in the trade, by a distance.
- Nobody went outside. Most damp in Cape Town enters from outside. A survey that never looked at the elevation has not surveyed anything.
- Nobody asked about the weather. Whether it tracks rain is the single most diagnostic question available and it is free.
- A quote but no written cause.
- One system recommended for every problem. If the answer is always injection, the answer was decided before the visit.
- Pressure to sign on the day.
It is entirely reasonable to say you want the written findings and will come back on the quote. Any contractor who has actually diagnosed something is comfortable with that.
Getting one
Our free inspection follows this structure and produces the written finding described above, whether or not the work comes to us.
Related reading
Start with The Four Types of Damp for the overview, or:
Common questions
How much does a damp survey cost?
Many contractors offer a free inspection, ours included, on the understanding that it may lead to work. An independent survey from someone with nothing to sell typically runs R1,500–R4,000 in Cape Town and is worth it where a lot of money hangs on the answer.
Should I get an independent survey or a contractor's?
For a straightforward fault a competent contractor's inspection is usually enough, particularly if the written finding stands up to a second opinion. Where the recommended work is large, or a building is being bought or sold, an independent surveyor with nothing to sell removes the conflict of interest.
How long does a damp survey take?
Thirty to sixty minutes for a normal domestic property covering inside, outside, roof space and ventilation. Substantially longer if a staged water test is needed to trace a leak.