THE STERLING APPROACH
Survey first, remedy second.
A large share of Leeds housing stock, particularly the back to back and through terraces around Armley, Beeston and Hyde Park, was built with solid walls and no damp proof course as we would recognise one today. That does not automatically mean every damp patch on a ground floor wall is rising damp. Plumbing leaks, failed pointing, raised external ground levels and condensation from poor ventilation can all produce similar staining on solid wall construction.
In the stone built inner suburbs, Chapel Allerton, Headingley and Kirkstall among them, penetrating damp through worn pointing, defective rendering or a blocked gutter is a common finding once a wall is actually inspected. Converted mill flats and above shop flats in the city centre tend to bring a different problem again, condensation and mould driven by limited ventilation and background heat loss rather than a fabric defect at all.
The damp we're commonly asked to look at in Leeds
TYPES OF DAMP
The damp we're commonly asked to look at in Leeds
Rising damp
Ground moisture drawn up through a solid wall where the damp proof course has failed or was never installed. Confirmed through the pattern of staining, salts and construction, not from a single meter reading.
Penetrating damp
Water entering through the wall itself, often through defective pointing, render, a leaking gutter or a failed flashing detail. Common on the exposed stone elevations found across the Leeds suburbs.
Condensation and mould
Moisture generated inside the building meeting a cold surface, frequently seen in converted flats and terraces with restricted ventilation. Usually a ventilation and heat loss problem rather than a wall defect.
LEEDS
Why we survey before we quote for damp proofing in Leeds
A damp proof course is the right answer to genuine rising damp. It is the wrong answer to a leaking soil pipe, a blocked gutter or an unventilated bathroom, and fitting one will not solve any of those. Sterling surveys the property first, sets out what is actually happening and only then proposes damp proofing, drainage work, ventilation improvement or repair, whichever the evidence points to.
Covering Headingley, Chapel Allerton, Armley, Beeston, Hyde Park, Kirkstall, Roundhay and the city centre.
Book a damp survey“We had a fairly bad water leak over a weekend. Sterling dealt with the water, drying and the follow on work, which made life easier because I wasn’t trying to coordinate several different contractors.”
Ian · Facilities manager, BradfordCOMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about this service
Do all Leeds terraces need a damp proof course?
No. Many older Leeds terraces were built without one, but that does not mean every damp reading is rising damp. A survey establishes whether the pattern actually matches rising moisture before any damp proofing is recommended.
Can you damp proof a converted flat above a shop?
Sometimes, but a lot of the damp and mould reported in converted flats in Leeds city centre comes from condensation and ventilation, not the wall itself. We check which is happening before specifying work.
How quickly can you survey a property in Leeds?
Contact us with the postcode and what you can see and we will confirm the next available survey slot across Leeds and the surrounding area.
Book a damp survey.
Tell Sterling what you can see and where. We will confirm the next available damp survey for Leeds and the surrounding area, then set out clearly what, if any, remedial work is justified.
Book a damp surveyCall 07415 909211