Lately I have been looking at quite a few converted basements in and around Leeds. Many are in terraced housing, back-to-backs, and such. Conversions are attractive on these smaller dwellings, especially if the project adds an extra bedroom or two. Add student letting into the equation and there is a real financial benefit in squeezing […]
The Rising Damp myth is….a scandal; like yesterday’s MMR scare.
06 Jun 10 by
Rising damp is a myth, some say. Not many really think so; that would be stupid, but those who believe this nonsense seem to have the ear of the press and the ear of RIBA and RICS too. So instead of being drowned out by howls of derision from the those who really know about […]
What is woodworm?
26 May 10 by
Well, if you’re a timber infestation surveyor like me, it usually means the Common Furniture Beetle Anobium punctatum. However, if you’re a house buyer, seller or any lay person, it usually means anything which has left holes in wood. And there is the problem; woodworm is an emotive generic name. Anything with ‘worm’ in the […]
Cheap and Easy Damp-proofing (which wont work).
15 May 10 by
A week or two ago I surveyed a house in York. My client is buying the place so of course he wants to know that the house is free of rot and damp. My standard damp and timber survey revealed some minor wet rot (Asterostroma species), some harmless timber infestation in the roof, (Ernobius mollis), […]