What are these idiots up to? The not uncommon site of a chemical damp-proof course having been injected on the outside of a sandstone wall.
These are some recent photographs where we have been called out to investigate why the damp-proofing by a “specialist ” contractor has not worked. I won’t go into detail as to why these measures were unlikely to work against rising damp anyway but, in most cases, rising damp was not even the issue!
These are attempts to deal with condensation, bridging debris behind wall linings and even salt contamination to a chimney breast (I’m not joking).
Even where rising damp may have been a contributory factor it would have been necessary to strip walls internally to provide a comprehensive specification – then the chemical damp-proof course could have been injected from the inside face and there would be no unsightly scarring of stonework externally. In addition, pointing holes with cement is likely to cause a reaction with the sandstone and cause further problems which could lead to penetrating dampness. Never mind that the “cure” does not even fix the original problem – it can, in fact, make things worse.
It would be being kind to say that these contractors don’t know what they are doing but some of them are just rip-off merchants and betraying the trust of the customer who is relying on their “expertise” and advice. It’s always nice for the customer to hear that their damp problems can be remedied without causing any internal disruption, however, this is rarely the case and the result is usually an expensive and pointless row of “bullet-holes” on the façade of their building.
