Two of the “Top 3 Problems” that people searching this blog appear to have is “damp walls in stone houses” and “how do I insulate stone walls”

Hardly a surprise in that all Portuguese houses built more than 10 years ago (and some newer) have a problem like damp walls in stone houses.

We tackle each damp home as an individual new occurrence and try to establish the cause so that ultimately we can achieve a cost-effective solution for the home owner.

“If all else fails then “Tank” Reddock Consultancies : Aerospace & Architectural Consultants said.

The thought of tanking their homes fills home owners with dread they have heard the horror stories mainly from London of tanked cellars being crazily expensive and prone to leaks or flooding once the work was completed.

More from Reddock Consultancies.
Tanking is a general term used to describe many different techniques of attempting to water/damp proof walls.
The only way to permanently get rid of dampness is, firstly, to ensure that any water is diverted away from the building by draining the surrounding land and then to ensure that the walls are able to have a free passage of air on both sides, known as breathing. This breathing is not to be confused with internal to the room ventilation which while necessary for the removal of humidity within a room and is also a requirement for the breathing of a wall is not the full picture of wall breathing.
© 2010    S.E.Reddock, M.Sc., C.Eng.

Luckily times have moved on and there are products available from specialist damp proofing manufacturers that will indeed stop damp from entering your home. The important thing is to make sure the damp treatment is done before you move furniture and fitting into the property as some re plastering will no doubt be required.

It is tempting to think that if you try to forget the damp it will go away. It wont in fact it will just cause other serious problems to occur like dry rot for instance.

The other non solution is to use a “special paint”. The only magic special paint can do is to make your wallet thinner. No paint can be a medium to long-term solution. I know because we come across plenty of failed DIY and processional damp cures every year.

There are lots of reasons people give for not doing the work to make thier homes dry. The tanking will take up too much space. Today’s damp treatment products will only take 3 to 4 centimeters from your room space. Any room can afford that if its going to be dry and warm.

Some people think that heating and ventilation will sort out the “damp problem” Unless carried out on a year round basis with adequate heating and adequate ventilation (who can seriously do that) you will no doubt start to see additional signs of condensation damp in other rooms around the house.

You could say – We wont use those areas. This has the effect of reducing the value of your home when its time to sell.

Why not contact www.casteloconstruction.com      info@casteloconstruction.com for a free quotation to remedy your damp problem for good.