Damp Proofing in Westminster

Damp in lower ground floors and basements

A great deal of Westminster's housing sits partly below the street. The stucco terraces of Pimlico and the red brick mansion blocks around Victoria nearly all have a lower ground floor, and many older houses also have brick vaults that run out beneath the pavement. Rooms like these have earth against at least one wall. Damp treatment in Westminster therefore starts with one question: where is the water coming from?

Three kinds of damp turn up below ground, and each leaves its own signs.

• Rising damp. Ground water drawn upwards through brick and mortar. Look for a tide mark low on the wall, white salts on the plaster and soft skirting boards.
• Penetrating damp. Water pushing sideways through a wall that has soil, paving or a leaking pipe behind it. The patch can sit at any height, darkens after rain and tends to stay on one wall.
• Condensation. Moisture from cooking, washing and breathing that settles on cold surfaces. It shows as black mould in corners and around windows, and is worst in winter.

A damp proof course deals with rising damp, but it cannot hold back water that is pressing in from the ground around a basement. That is the job of tanking: the walls and floor are lined with a waterproof coating or membrane so that the room stays dry on the inside. You can read about that work on our basement tanking page.

Flat Roofing in Westminster

Flat roofs are everywhere here: over rear additions, behind parapets, under roof terraces and across the tops of mansion blocks. When one fails, the top flat gets the damp patch and the cause is easy to misread. Our flat roofing team works in GRP fibreglass, EPDM rubber, torch on and traditional felt, for flats, houses and commercial premises. Repair work ranges from finding and sealing a leak to cutting out a blister or tear, making an edge or joint stronger, and getting standing rainwater to drain. See our flat roofing page for the systems we fit.

Roof Repairs in Westminster

On a Westminster terrace the slates usually sit out of sight behind a parapet, so a slipped slate or a split piece of lead can go unnoticed until a ceiling stains. Our roofers trace and stop leaks, swap broken or missing slates and tiles, and renew flashing and leadwork that has been damaged. Gutter and roofline faults are dealt with too, and emergency roof repairs are available after a storm. Details are on our roof repairs page.

Property Refurbishment for Westminster Flats and Houses

Treating damp usually means taking plaster off the wall, which makes it a sensible moment to plan the room that follows. Once the walls are dry we can replaster and decorate, lay new flooring and tiling, and update a kitchen or a bathroom. Structural improvements are part of the same service. On larger schemes we can also help with drawings, structural engineering, surveys, the planning application and managing the project. More on our property refurbishment page.

Brick Repointing for Westminster Terraces

Worn mortar joints let rain soak into a wall, and from indoors the result looks like any other damp patch. Rear walls and lightwells deserve a close look, because they see little sun and dry slowly. Our repointing takes in heritage and listed buildings as well as ordinary ones: parapets, chimney stacks, garden and boundary walls and complete elevations. The failed mortar comes out and new mortar goes in, mixed to the colour of the original, with traditional methods used where the building calls for them. The process is explained on our brick repointing page.

Chimney Repairs on Westminster Roofs

A stain on an upstairs chimney breast nearly always traces back to the stack above or to the lead where it meets the roof. Chimney work we carry out includes capping, repointing, flashing repairs, complete rebuilds and removals. In lead we form cover flashings and step flashings, and we work on box gutters and valleys as well. See our chimneys and leadwork page.

A New Roof in Westminster

When patching no longer keeps the water out, we can reconstruct the roof or replace it, whether that means a pitched roof in slate or tile or a new flat roof. The scaffolding is our own, and for a new roof it is supplied and put up at no charge. On a listed building, or in a conservation area, the council will normally expect the new covering to match the old, so speak to the planning team before materials are ordered. Our roofing page covers new roofs in full.

Facias Replacement and Guttering in Westminster

Mews houses, dormers and rear extensions are where fascias, soffits and gutters are found here. An overflowing gutter wets the same strip of wall every time it rains, and that strip is often where the damp indoors begins. Gutters and downpipes are repaired or replaced, and gutters that have dropped are cleared and set back in line. Where the boards behind them have gone, we fit new fascias and soffits in uPVC, together with bargeboards and box ends. More is set out on our fascias and guttering page.

Questions about damp proofing in Westminster

Does damp work in a listed building need consent?

Often, yes. Listed building consent can be needed for work that alters the fabric of the building, such as removing original plaster or lining a wall with a membrane. Ask Westminster City Council's planning team before any work is booked. We can help with planning applications and surveys.

Can a flat we are living in be treated room by room?

In most cases it can. Damp proofing can be planned one room at a time so that the remainder of the flat stays in use. New plaster needs time to dry before it is decorated, so we agree the order of the rooms with you at the start.

Who arranges access in a block of flats?

Usually the freeholder or the managing agent. Outside walls, roofs, lightwells and shared pipes normally belong to the building and not to a single flat, so permission is needed before anyone works on them. Check your lease and speak to the agent early. We are happy to quote for the freeholder or the agent directly.