Damp Proofing

Cape Town is famous for its every changing weather, and its four seasons in a week. This can leave our buildings prone to dampness. Old buildings, particularly the ones closest to our beach fronts, can become a damp-filled nightmare. Without suitable damp proofing, the dampness can ruin decorative finishes, like paintwork and - sometimes - soft furnishing, while it may also destroy plaster and woodwork, ultimately undermining the building's structural integrity, and decreasing its value.

Dampness can also have an adverse effect on your health too, as damp buildings can cause respiratory infections and other problems. It can also aggravate problems such as asthma, and trigger a number of allergic reactions through condensation build-up.

If the physical barrier of damp proofing in a property is damaged, absent or bridged in any way it can potentially lead to building problems such as:

Rising Damp - The movement of water up the walls of a building, which can result in damage to the plaster and internal decorations.
Dry Rot - Timber with a moisture content above 20% gives wood destroying fungas the opportunity to grow.
Wet Rot - Present in timber with a moisture content much higher than that required for dry rot and usually above 40%.

Usually, when a property is constructed, a preventative damp proof course is built into the walls, just above ground level. This is often known simply as a DPC and is one of the several solutions for damp control in a building.

We provide an extensive damp proofing inspection by qualified surveyors who will assess and correctly diagnose the extent and type of dampness affecting your property. Our experts will recommend property specific damp proofing treatments for the most effective way to treat your damp problem.