Screed thickness after damp treatment

[tedmosby]

Hi all,

 

I'm in the final stages of the buying process of a lower ground floor/garden flat (first time buyer so nervous times!).

 

Now as the flat evidently has damp, and I had a damp survey done with a local specialist. He confirmed that parts of the walls and flooring had damp in it and needed damp treatment, which was expected.

 

However, one important thing for me is very unclear: In the Damp specialist report it said that a layer of Screed with a thickness of 3-4 millimetre would be laid down, before a new wooden floor can be put in, with a drying time of just a few days. However, every where on internet I seem to read that a layer of Screed needs to be 3 - 4 centimetre thick.

 

This would have large implications on the time I could potentially move in (assuming 1mm per day of drying) and would also require more work I guess with making door post level etc.

 

I'm a bit confused and worried by this, so it would be super grateful if someone has some advice on this.

 

Thank you so much for any advice!
Ted

[PeterW]

He’s talking about self levelling compound that dries in hours. 
 

And does the flat have damp or condensation ..? If he’s suggesting injecting “special cream/gel” into the walls then walk away … 

[tedmosby]

Many thanks for your response Peter. 

As it is a lower ground floor/garden flat, it does need a proper DPC and some treatment to the walls. (All in all quoted 15k GBP for various parts of the flat). 

Given it comes with a 30y 'guarantee', I was under the impression that this would be pretty safe. 

 

Am I completely wrong?  

[Conor]

What are the details of both 5hw damp issues and the proposed solutions? If it's a below ground level wall and floor, then it needs external drainage and tanking. If this was never done then an internally applied system will not work unless the water has somewhere to go.

 

Get three quotes from different suppliers, regardless.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Conor

[tedmosby]

Many thanks for the reply.

This was the official finding on the damp report:

 

"High moisture readings characteristic of rising and penetrating dampness has been found in the property. In the surveyor’s opinion, these readings are due to a failure and breakdown of the existing damp proof course and possibly the use of the wrong type of modern materials in an old property"

 

These were the steps laid out in the report to repair the damp issue

 

Walls:

1. Skirting Boards and Plaster Removal

2. Salt Neutraliser

3. Damp Proof Course Injection

4. Tanking Slurry

5. Waterproofing Render

6. Plaster Finish

 

Flooring:

1. The floor will be damp proofed with two layers of liquid DPM

2. A thin water proof concrete floor screed approximately 3mm deep will also be laid to provide a second layer of protection and to protect the liquid DPM.

 

Does this sound reasonable, or am I potentially getting myself in a mess if I proceed?