The Home Crew · Northern Johannesburg

Damp proofing in northern Johannesburg

Identify the moisture source before choosing a treatment. Damp assessment, suitable remedial work and replastering across our Johannesburg service area, with the scope and drying requirements set out in the quote.

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What damp proofing costs

Rising damp, lateral damp or condensation

Three different problems wear the same patch on a wall, and the treatment for one does nothing for the other two.

• Rising damp: moisture climbing from the ground through the brickwork, carrying ground salts with it. It draws a tide mark on the lower part of the wall and stops where gravity and the wall finish beating it.
• Lateral damp: water getting in from outside: overflow from a blocked gutter washing down one wall, a downpipe leaking at the joint, cracked render, or a flower bed piled above the damp course. The patch tracks the fault, wet where the water touches, dry everywhere else.
• Condensation: moist indoor air meeting a cold wall. No water is getting into the wall at all; the water is forming on its surface, worst in winter, behind furniture and inside cupboards where the air stands still.

Which one you have decides what gets done: a damp course, an external repair, or ventilation. That is why the diagnosis comes first, in writing, and the treatment is quoted after it.

The check we do before anyone quotes you

Tide marks, salts, mould and weather patterns can help an investigation, but appearance alone cannot distinguish rising damp, penetrating water, leaks and condensation reliably. The inspection should check the building and moisture source before specifying treatment.

Fix the source before treating the wall

No treatment holds against water that is still coming in, so the source is checked before any treatment is quoted. In practice the culprit is one of four things: a gutter overflowing against the wall in every storm, which gutter cleaning fixes; a roof leak tracking down inside the cavity, which needs roof repairs; water pooling or penetrating through an external surface, which is waterproofing; or soil and garden beds piled above the damp course on the outside, which is a shovel-and-wheelbarrow job we do on the day.

Subsoil drainage, structural cracks and basement work get referred out, named in the diagnosis, not patched into a quote we cannot stand behind. The wall gets treated when treating the wall is the actual fix.

How internal treatment is done

Internal rising-damp treatment is quoted per linear metre. Confirm preparation, loose-plaster removal, the treatment system and finishing in the quote. Structural rebuilding and drainage are separate scopes.

The treatment goes in per the product system’s own specification (injection or DPC method), not as a one-size coating, because the diagnosis decides the method. After it, the treated section is replastered and left ready to decorate: flat, sealed and dry-coated, so painting the wall afterwards is a normal paint job, not a fight with a patch.

How long until the wall is dry enough to decorate depends on how wet it was and the season it dries in, so we state the drying-out time for your wall before we leave rather than quoting one blanket figure.

How long does damp treatment last?

Durability depends on the moisture source, the building and the chosen system. Ask which defects the work addresses and which continuing conditions could affect the result.

Keep drainage and gutters maintained and investigate new leaks promptly. Treatment of one affected area does not guarantee that no other moisture problem will develop.

When damp-proof paint is suitable

A decorative or protective coating must suit the substrate and the treatment system. It is not a substitute for resolving an active moisture source. Follow the manufacturer's moisture and drying requirements before coating.

Ask the quote to explain why the proposed treatment suits the diagnosed cause, what preparation is included and when the surface can be decorated.

How the job runs

Send photos of the inside and outside of the affected wall and note when the damp appears. Photos help plan an inspection; treatment and the final price depend on identifying the source.

Before we leave, you receive:

• The cause of the damp diagnosed and named in writing before any treatment is quoted.
• The moisture source addressed first, or referred out to the trade it belongs to, whether that is a leaking gutter run, a roof leak or subsoil drainage.
• Treatment carried out per the product system’s own specification: injection or DPC method, not a one-size coating.
• The treated section replastered and left ready to decorate.
• The drying-out time for your wall estimated for the wall and season, with drying checked before decoration.
• A 6-month guarantee on our workmanship: workmanship only.

Where we diagnose and treat damp

We cover every area listed on our service-area page, including: Fourways, Sandton, Randburg and everywhere else we work. Older freestanding homes in these suburbs are the ones that carry the original damp courses now past their working life, and the tree-heavy stands of the north are the ones whose gutters overflow against walls in every storm. To get a diagnosis started, send us the details or call.

Questions we get asked