Business & services

 In the past few years in London and surrounding counties, we have experienced an increase in calls concerning dampness to internal chimney breasts. Chimney stacks are open to the elements and should the chimney stack not be correctly maintained, defects like damp can occur. The main causes of damp in chimneys are rain, condensation or salt contamination. Salt contamination especially in older chimney breasts is a common problem and is usually a result of fossil fuels like coal being burnt in the fire place. Because coal comes from the ground it can contain salt minerals like nitrates, chlorides, sulphates etc. When the coal is burnt these salts manifest themselves in the brickwork of the fireplace. Over a period of time and especially if the fireplace is no longer used as such the salts can migrate from the brickwork and settle in the wall plaster. These salts then become what is technically known as hygroscopic, which means that they can attract and hold atmospheric moisture fro...

Pre purchase roof inspections are extremely important when you are in the process of purchasing a property and can save you ‘the homebuyer’ a considerable amount of money and stress.    Most people do not think that paying for a thorough inspection to the roof areas is necessary as they have had a Homebuyers report carried out; however, most of these reports are usually quite vague when reporting on the condition of the roof areas and usually state that you should seek the advice of a roofer. We have been contacted on countless of occasions by people that have recently purchased a property which is now receiving water ingress.  Unfortunately, on many of these occasions, it is determined that either major works or a full roof replacement is required, which results in the new homeowner having to find the cost for these works. We offer pre-purchase reports for a full roof inspection; this consists of carrying out an inspection to all accessible areas of the roof (i.e. roof ...