Rising damp is the process by which groundwater moves up through external walls by capillary action, allowing moisture to penetrate into the interior of a property.
Severe rising damp may cause water damage to external walls and lead to efflorescence on masonry surfaces such as concrete or brick veneer. This moisture ingress can also result in mortar erosion, mould growth and other related defects.
In most cases rising damp occurs because a damp proof course was not installed or because external walls lack adequate waterproofing. For example, in one of our case studies, a building owner suspected that the house constructed by the engaged builder did not have a compliant damp proof course as required by the Australian Standards.
The boundary wall was experiencing severe rising damp, with obvious mortar erosion and efflorescence deposits. The client believed this to be a major defect and attributed it to the builder’s workmanship, so we were engaged to investigate as part of the claims process.
After our site assessment we determined that the water ingress was not caused by the builder but by the neighbouring property owner. The neighbour had built a garden bed with a timber planter directly against the external wall without applying a liquid waterproofing membrane where the wall was in contact with soil.
Our investigation showed that the builder was not at fault for this rising damp issue. This finding benefits both parties by clearly identifying the actual source of the problem.
If you have found white deposits on your wall or flaky paint, you can reach out to Altez at admin@altezbuildinginspections.com.au
