If you are wondering if you are more likely to encounter damp in a terraced house, either because you are living in one or are looking to buy one, then you have come to the right place.
We will cover the signs to look out for, when it comes to finding damp in a terraced house, including why, how, who from and most importantly, how to control or prevent it in your home.
If you are interested in dampness in different types of properties, we have already covered if bungalows are more likely to develop damp than houses here.
What are the Signs of Damp in a Terraced House?
Damp can be one of the most destructive and expensive problems that you encounter in your property, especially when it’s ignored and allowed to get worse for prolonged periods of time.
It’s always best to investigate, identify and fix the problem at the earliest opportunity, to avoid damage to your terraced house, and to your wallet. That being said, it is actually easy to spot when you know what to look out for.
These are some of the most common signs that you might have damp in your terraced house:
Damp and Musty Smell: An unpleasant and musty smell can be a telltale sign of damp that you may not be able to see. This is normally caused when damp develops as a result of condensation, and there is no ventilation, causing it to accumulate and fester indoors causing the unpleasant odour.
Increased Humidity: Humidity levels may rise, and you might find it more uncomfortable when breathing. This is because there is additional moisture in the air. Humid air is thicker and heavier, which is why it is harder to breathe in.
Black Mould: This is probably one of the most visible signs that you may have damp. It’s most commonly found on walls, windows and door frames. The damp can cause black mould spores to germinate and grow, and this can be harmful if not treated, especially to people who have respiratory conditions such as asthma.
Flaking Wallpaper and Plaster: Damp accumulating on walls can make the wallpaper wet and lose its stickiness. This, as well as the fact that the wallpaper will expand and contract due to the damp, will cause it to peel off. Similarly, the plaster absorbing the moisture would start to lose its structural properties and start coming off the wall and crumbling.
Rising Damp: This is characterised by a visibly wet patch of wall starting at the bottom making its way up the wall. The wall will feel wetter than any other unaffected parts. It will generally stay in the bottom section of the wall.
Condensation: Condensation happens when warm air touches a cold surface. Cold walls or windows that have become cooler as the temperature outside has dropped will cause the moisture to condense on the surface.
Water droplets on walls: As humidity increases and moisture is no longer able to hold in the air, it condenses, and tiny drops of water appear on surfaces, like walls and windows. Over time, increased water droplets on your walls can cause more serious issues like damp patches and back mould.
Cold Walls: Some walls that are further away from radiators or walls that are near windows, or for example in an enclosed cupboard (where air does not circulate) are prone to be cold and at a heightened risk of damp, because moisture will often condense there.
Salt Deposits: Salts can enter the property from the ground up through rising damp, or from water seeping from the outside causing penetrating damp. The process by which the salts enter your home and destroy the materials such as plaster, is called efflorescence.
Rotting Skirting Boards: When skirting boards absorb the moisture in the air, they may start to rot and lose their structure over time, becoming softer and weaker. This may be a sign that damp can be coming up from below the floor (for example a basement).
Whilst there are quite a few possible signs of damp above, it’s not necessary for all of them to be present to correctly identify damp.
If you spot a smaller number of signs, it can still mean that your terraced house has a damp problem, whereas identifying more from the list can indicate a more serious problem.
If you aren’t sure, then you can rely on our team here at Timberwise to help by investigating and identifying damp through a survey, so if you would like peace of mind and a full written report on the damp in your terraced house, you can request a survey here.
Worried About Damp in a Terraced House You Own?
Why Might Damp Develop in a Terraced House?
Damp can develop in terraced houses for many reasons. Sometimes damp can be easy to fix or repair, but some cases may be bigger and relate to structural damage, which may not be able to be fixed so quickly. Whether you own a terraced house or are looking to buy one, the following should give you a good idea of why damp may develop.
Solid brick walls: Due to their older nature, terraced houses are often built with solid brick walls, which may lack a damp-proof course.
This unfortunately makes them more susceptible to rising damp.
This means that the damp rises from the ground underneath, through the bricks and into your property. It is characterised by wet patches in the bottom section of the wall.
Poor ventilation: Inadequate ventilation of your terraced property can contribute to the damp problem. When moisture in the air is unable to escape, it condenses on walls and surfaces. This can cause the air to become heavy and thick, making the damp in your terraced house worse.
Shared walls: Terraced houses share walls with neighbouring properties, through which damp can spread and penetrate through. This means that if your neighbour has a damp problem, you are more likely to also have this damp penetrating through your shared walls. End of terrace houses are at a smaller risk of damp from their neighbours, as they only share 1 wall with them.
Penetrating Damp: This would be from water coming from the outside and can be from things like defective guttering, bust pipes (water spilling on your walls), or things like broken windows, through which rain can seep in.
Cement-based materials: Due to terrace houses being older, they are built using older building techniques and materials. These materials often contain cement-based pointing and render, which could make the damp problems worse by preventing the property from “breathing”.
Since terraced houses were built, there have been innovations in material technology and houses are now built with newer materials that let some airflow through the walls, allowing them to “breathe” and prevent damp.
These are just a few of the main causes of damp in terraced houses, and each case of damp will need to be investigated independently as it may have its own unique causes of damp.
Terraced houses contain a few of the above factors which may cause damp, however, that is not to say that all terraced houses are damp. Taking preventative steps, such as regularly ventilating and maintenance, will avert most damp from accumulating in terraced houses. We discuss more ways to prevent and control damp in terraced properties below.
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Can Damp Spread from my Neighbour’s House to my Terraced House?
Unfortunately, yes.
Damp spreads from the ground up into porous materials such as brick, plaster and wallpaper, and does not respect property boundaries.
An example of this, is that your neighbour has had water leaking into his property because of a defective pipe on the property they are responsible for, that has (over time) caused penetrating damp in the terraced house.
Let’s say they ignored the issue, and the damp proceeded to spread across your joining wall, and into your home, causing your property to develop damp and the subsequent damage. This could have been avoided if your neighbour took steps to fix the pipe and prevent the damp from happening in the first place.
Other problems your neighbour could have encountered are rising damp, or other defects in the property such as broken guttering.
Is Damp Worse in a Middle Terrace or End of Terrace House?
As we mentioned before, there are all kinds of potential risks of damp when it comes to a mid-terraced house, and some are more to do with your neighbours’ actions than your own.
For example, if your neighbour’s property develops damp, then its highly likely that the problem might well extend to your own, as damp does not respect property boundaries. Problems like penetrating and rising damp can easily spread through brick, plaster, or wallpaper quite easily, and might well spread through party walls even though you have done nothing to contribute to the onset of that damp.
Whilst there are all kinds of reasons that your mid terraced house might develop damp from your neighbours, or even from the likes of penetrating damp should there be a broken pipe or something similar, you are actually at less risk of developing a condensation problem thanks to mid terraced properties being sandwiched between two other homes.
Mid terraced properties (normally) only have two externally facing walls, with the other two being shared with other homes. This means that the likelihood of the warm air generated in the property leaking out the walls is not only drastically reduced, but the chances of those walls also being warmer is significantly higher.
That’s because the properties on either side of your home will also be heating their homes, so any warm air created won’t be condensing onto cold internal walls. Of course, its worth remembering that an increased level of ventilation is required in the property just to make sure that any potential risk of condensation is controlled, and the likelihood of damp minimised.
Unfortunately, whilst end of terraced homes might have one wall heated by a neighbouring property, its more than likely going to have more exterior facing walls than a mid-terrace.
This does increase the possibility of condensation building up, as if those external walls aren’t insulated correctly then its going to be very easy for any moisture to condense and, over time, turn into a damp problem.
It’s not just condensation either. With an additional external wall compared to a mid-terraced property, there is a higher likelihood that weathering will play a larger part in damp setting in, because of a clogged gutter, blocked drain, bad pointing, or any other reason that penetrating damp can develop.
However, with less neighbours, the chances that damp might develop next door in an environment beyond your control and spread to your own home is also drastically reduced.
Really, there are risks of damp in both mid and end terrace properties – what matters most though, is that you make sure to keep an eye out for any signs of damp developing, and act early to avoid it spreading.
Worried About Damp in a Terraced House You Own?
How can Condensation in a Terraced House be Controlled?
If you are the owner of a terraced house, or are looking at buying one, you may be interested in ways in which you can prevent or treat the damp.
Rest assured that there are many ways in which damp can be prevented and treated, so if you discover damp, it is not all doom and gloom.
Below we have outlines ways to control damp in your terraced house:
Regular Maintenance: By conducting regular maintenance of your terraced house, you will be able to spot potential damp issues quickly and at their inception. The quicker you spot an issue, the better and the chances are it will be easier and cheaper to fix, whilst the problem is still small.
Fix any Structural Issues: If there are structural issues that you suspect may be causing the damp, then do get these looked at and fixed, as soon as possible. There is a big chance that these may be causing the damp in your terraced house, so eradicating these is the first step. If any damp solutions are implemented whilst the source of the damp is still active, then there is a big chance that the damp will come back.
Damp Proofing Solutions: There are a few options when it comes to damp proofing your terraced house, and that will depend on your individual property, the damp proofing methods already in place and the budget. Some damp proofing solutions include: a damp proof course (DPC), applying damp proof paint, or a damp proof membrane if suitable.
Locate the Damp Proof Course: If you are not sure if a damp proof course has been installed, then have a look yourself or get this checked by a surveyor. The surveyor will be able to check if it is still intact and if it has been installed at the right level. The damp proof course should be at least 150mm above the ground to be effective (also 150mm above any steps leading into the property).
Damp & Timber Survey: If you are looking to buy a terraced property, then we advise a damp and timber survey, which will detail all defects to the property in relation to damp or potential damp problems. To request a damp and timber survey, please get in touch with one of our team or request a survey here.
The methods listed above should control a minor damp problem you might have in your terraced house. Should the damp persist, it is advisable to seek the advice of a qualified specialist. Here at Timberwise, we are experts in damp treatment and eradication and are always happy to help you with your damp problem.
If you would like to discuss your damp issue further with one of our trained team, then please do give us a call on 0800 288 8660 or request a damp survey here.
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