Now that you have read part 1 and part 2, we can move onto more problematical damp. This is rising damp. Despite what some daft journalists and conservationists say, it’s very common. However, it is also often misdiagnosed and I’d say that quite a few expensive damp courses are installed when they needn’t be (I […]
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), […]
Property Care Association awards 2010
29 Mar 10 by
Blimey! On Friday night, at the awards in London, I was presented with a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the PCA training category. It was a good night, spent at Lords Cricket ground with the great and the good of the preservation industry. Guest speaker was the superb batsman Alex Stewart, who scored over 8000 runs […]