Damp proof. Concern with work carried out.

Get the boss out for a look !

Good start but I can’t imagine anything he’ll say will change my mind about paying him.

what next?

They either do the work to a satisfactory standard or you dont pay them  depends on how big the deposit is but if the work is that poor then you can use small claims to get thatback as well.

First step is to get the gaffer round and see what he says

Pics please

Interior or exterior?

Hi

It is interior around the chimney breast. They have used a membrane but there are gaps everywhere.

sorry can’t seem to upload pictures

Thanks for the help so far

Is the chimney internal , or built into an outside wall?

Using a plastic membrane on an internal chimney breast is just hiding the issue.

Was a decent survey of the stack carried out with a drone? Or set of ladders?

Is the chimney live or unused?

Might need a surveyor or accredited professional to advise on the proper course of action. Tricky as you have entered an agreement with the bodger's who now expect monies

Hi

Thanks for the help so far. The chimney is internal and no drone or ladders used to my knowledge. Chimney is live.

For example the membrane has been cut between the bead so clearly moisture will get through.

Feel a bit of a mug but they were recommended by a trusted builder.

Thanks all. They’ve not asked for the balance yet but I fear that day soon.

regards

When you say gaps what do you mean exactly?

As above, what they've done is hiding the damp. On a chimney start at the top ie have you got a cap?  Without one youve got a bottomless bucket pointing at the rain.Then check the haunching around the base of the can. It's probably cracked so replace. Then the haunching around the chimney/roof/ridge interface. Again it may need repaired, lead ragged in.

Water penetration is possible at any of those points, I see it all the time at work

Personally I would remove the membrane, possibly remove the damp plaster depending on how it looks, then allow to dry once you have found the source of the ingress. Make good as appropriate

When I say gaps they have cut a hole round where the plug socket is. My plasterer said this should be plugged? Also the membrane has a large gap at the bottom and exposed brick can be seen. It hasn’t been wrapped around they have cut the membrane and just stuck to each side of the chimney breast so half inch gap on all sides.

sigh

Jeez 🙄

On a chimney start at the top

Just what I was going to say. Need to stop the damp getting below the roof line.

Someone suggested a “slurry” mix that could be painted on.

Do I get a second opinion then go back them or complain first to the boss? To be honest I don’t want them back in my house.

Not sure it is coming down the chimney as our bedroom above shows no sign at all?

Thanks again, it is comforting there are strangers out there trying to help me.

regards

Is the chimney stone or brick .

The damp you have I'll assume was showing through the plaster

Was in black in colour and patchy

Do you have any pictures of what the damp looked like before work was carried out

Damp can often be confused for condensation

Really difficult to actually make any comment on there work without seeing it

It is brick. Yes I wish I could upload pictures but struggling.
The plasters was bulging and flaking around the bottom of the chimney breast.

I’ll see if I can upload some pics…

Slurry mix won't do anything, it's just covering the damp

It's possible the damp is in other rooms but is not penetrating, or it may just be in your downstairs room. The first step is to identify where it is coming from and stop it.

I would say you need to let the boss see it.  Depends what he says what your next step is but it sounds to me like total cowboys doing a bodge

Thanks all. So I assume a proper survey to identify the source?

Kicking myself as went with a trusted friend recommendation. Hey ho, worse things happen at sea.

I doubt it's rising damp penetrated the dpc from below and wicking up the bricks.

I would guess the lead has failed at the roof interface and rainwater is running down inside. Hits the base then sits there. Although the cold air moving through the chimney could be causing any moisture to condense in that area as it's the cold spot in the room.

Or flaunching failed around the pot.

Or pointing failed on the exposed stack

Or bridging is occurring somewhere.

Either way a plastic sheet is actually going to make it worse.

Thanks, if water were to be running down the chimney would it not show higher up the breast or in the room above?

How do we pin point the source?

what singletrackmind said

You may never be able to pinpoint the exact point of ingress, and there could be more than one, however you go through the process of checking the chimney from the top, repairing as necessary as you go. Obviously you need to get up and have a look, (or someone does).

While they are up there, get a cowel fitted.

Cheers

I have paid a deposit but what should I do next?

Be diplomatic and objective in your complaint, but as you've only paid a deposit, and if the work is as shoddy as seems, tell them to jog on and cut your losses.

Realisticaly they would have done the job properly in the first instance, or advised of any complications and came to a new quote. so I wouldn't rely on any good will dragging them back to do another crap job to cover up the initial crap job.

Yes that is exactly my thoughts. I’ll invite the boss round for a look to highlight the clear issues. I don’t want them back in my house papering over cracks again to be fair.

It would be nice to think it would be as simple as saying jog on but I fear a backlash and I am unclear on my rights of withholding payment. Any help on this side would also be appreciated.

Regards

Put your photos on imgbb.com

Each one will give you a bbcode link. Copy and paste that straight onto this topic, no editing needed.

Unless you suspect they know the work is terrible and won't ask for the balance, I would raise your concerns first rather than wait for the bill.

Who decided that it needed a membrane...were they asked to install the membrane or did they survey it and decide that was the appropriate treatment?

PS you can withold payment, once you pay you have no leverage. I did it for a set of doors installed incorrectly, the company got pretty nasty on the phone but I just sat back and waited for them to sort it as I hadn't paid the balance. If I had paid, I would have got no where with getting them fixed.

I had damp under chimney breast, chimney structure looked solid.  I repointed any cracks, repainted chimney and external wall.  Seems to have solved it.  It's a bungalow so easy access, though it was scary hanging onto the chimney.

Good point 're cowl, when wet and windy the rain blows across so can enter chimney.  If it's not used the effect is cumulative.

Once damp has found a route in it needs fixing.

Not a chimney, but on the point of shoddy work. I had some tiling done earlier this year by a 'professional' tiler. Honestly, I won't go into details but it was an absolute joke, just workmanship of the lowest quality. I was unfortunately out of the country when it was done, got home to find my wife in tears (and she is pretty resilient about this sort of stuff.) Got him on the phone and told him to get back and take a look.  However in the day between the call and hat happening I had similar thoughts to the OP - I just didn't want him back in the house - the work was so poor that I didn't see how anybody who thought they could leave the job like that would be able to fix it. In the end he did come round (he insisted, but was by and large belligerent about how it wasn't 'that bad' a job.  IN the end i told him to leave and refused to pay him, and haven't paid him a penny of the £600 he charged, and don't intend to either.  I'd feel like a mug paying somebody for something that I've now had to pay significantly more to make right (inc. the removal/make good of borked tiling.)

So, as awkward as it is, stand firm if you think you've had your pants pulled down.

Bedroom chimney IME will be separated internally from the other.

If you use coal then the smoke eats mortar, and damp then wicks through the plaster. The bedroom doesn't usually have as many fires and survives longer, however I'd expect signs up there eventually in a shared chimney breast.

Possible that damp is from below but I'd start at the top too. Repair plaster with a cementacious product. Limelite renovating plaster works as well

Buy or blag a damp meter, you may find that the chimney in the bedroom is also damp but not sufficient to blow out the plaster.

Do you have a log burner or an open fire?

If it's a log burner they usually have a flue liner and top hat arrangements that should reduce water ingress.

Can you get a GoPro on a stick and get a close up view? If your manc way my nerdy bro will run his drone round it for petrol money.

Doesn't help the fact that these guys are going to be issuing an invoice today , so you need to employ a professional hettas chimney sweep to give you a professional assessment of the problems and recommendations for a course of action. Whacking on a membrane on what is basically an internal wall in a lounge doesn't sound in any a proper course of action , just a band aid  plaster on a broken arm type of repair

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Think I’ll put together an email with our concerns.
For questions above, they surveyed the property and recommended this membrane. Naively I went with it but on reflection it makes complete sense that this will just move the problem. Anyway there are long slits in it anyway so useless. They have injected something into the bricks at the bottom but unsure how effective this will be.

To also answer another question above, we do have a log burner.

Update.

So I’ve emailed the boss with our concerns. He’s left me a voice message explaining he is really disappointed and that he’ll send another team round to rip out what has been done and replace.

My issue is, I’m concerned about this company coming round due to issue above. Plus as mentioned above and by two other specialists that their solution is incorrect and we should be considering a slurry mix instead of the membrane.

Any help would be welcomed.

Update.

So I’ve emailed the boss with our concerns. He’s left me a voice message explaining he is really disappointed and that he’ll send another team round to rip out what has been done and replace.

My issue is, I’m concerned about this company coming round due to issue above. Plus as mentioned above and by two other specialists that their solution is incorrect and we should be considering a slurry mix instead of the membrane.

Any help would be welcomed.

Let the boss come round and have a chat.  Raise your concerns including about where is the damp coming from.  Then decide if you want to let them carry on or get someone else in.

at least they are trying to put it right, give them a chance i suggest. youve got nothing to loose

Yep that’s what I thought. He seems a reasonable chap and has already organised a meeting to discuss with the bloke that carried out the work.

Thanks again

Just an update for anyone interested. Met with the boss today. He was very apologetic and agreed with all my concerns and offered to solve it and start again effectively. I explained we have lost confidence in the company. We both agreed to shake hands and go our separate ways, he is going to scrap the invoice.

Very amicable and happy with the result.

That is a good result, here’s hoping the next lot do better! Well done for standing your ground…

good outcome, well done

👍

Blimey. Top guy , but I bet you are in the small minority of people who questions what's been done for the money and if that is the correct course of action.

Now find a chimney specialist who can fix the root cause of the problems

Thanks all for the input.