South Leicestershire and Rutland have a lot of beautiful period housing stock, cottages, farmhouses, converted barns, and with that comes a problem almost every older property develops eventually: damp. Before you assume the worst, it is worth understanding what type you are actually dealing with.
The Three Types of Damp, and Why It Matters
- Condensation – caused by moisture in the air meeting cold surfaces, most common in bathrooms, kitchens and poorly ventilated bedrooms. This is by far the most common type we are called out to look at, and often the easiest to fix.
- Penetrating damp – water entering from outside through defective render, damaged pointing, cracked pipework or a failed roof detail. This shows up as a damp patch that tracks with weather, worse after heavy rain.
- Rising damp – groundwater moving up through a wall via capillary action, usually where a damp-proof course has failed or was never installed properly. Genuinely rising damp is rarer than it is diagnosed, particularly by companies selling chemical injection treatments as a default fix.
Why Diagnosis Matters More Than Treatment
We regularly see properties where a previous "damp specialist" has recommended chemical injection or tanking without correctly identifying the actual cause. If the real problem is a blocked gutter or a cracked airbrick, no amount of chemical treatment will resolve it, and the damp simply returns. Correct diagnosis first saves homeowners from paying for a treatment that was never going to solve the underlying issue.
What Older Properties Need That Newer Ones Don't
Many period properties in this area were built with solid walls rather than a cavity, and were designed to let moisture pass through and evaporate rather than be sealed in. Modern cement renders, non-breathable paints and certain insulation approaches can trap moisture in these walls rather than letting it escape, actually making damp worse over time. Renovating a period property properly means using breathable materials, lime render and mortar in the right places, rather than defaulting to modern specifications that suit newer construction better.
Practical Steps That Solve Most Condensation Problems
- Extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens, properly sized and vented to the outside rather than into a loft space
- Trickle vents kept open on windows, particularly in bedrooms
- Addressing cold spots and thermal bridging, often around lintels and in solid wall sections
- Simple habit changes, such as ventilating after showers and drying clothes with a window open or a vented dryer
When It Is Worth Calling Someone In
If a damp patch is getting worse, tracking with weather, or appearing somewhere new, it is worth a proper inspection rather than a guess. We assess damp as part of our renovation surveys across Leicester, Rutland and the East Midlands, and will always tell you honestly if the fix is a five-minute ventilation change rather than a costly treatment.
Get in touch if you have a damp issue you would like a second opinion on.