Persimmon Homes - Damp

joanna.coxon · 23rd July 2007, 22:05

We moved into a newbuild persimmon home a month ago and after being in for a week, noticed black mould on the skirting boards in most of the rooms, including the upstairs. The most affected room is the master bedroom, where the mould is particuarly bad in the built in wardrobes. The clothes in the wardrobe are damp as well as the bed covers, to the point where they are unwearable/unusable. The site manager firstly said it was because when the skirting boards were fitted they were damp - so why fit them then! Their solution to the problem was to wipe the mould off with bleach and allow the house to 'dry out'. We went away on holiday for two weeks and left the heating on low and the window vents open, but it was still the same when we got back. The house smells damp and we are unable to sleep comfortably in our bed. We are yet to hear the site managers further comments, but if anyone else has experienced a similar problem, it would be helpful for any advice you can give.

willyj · 24th July 2007, 09:00

Unfortunately the structure of a house can absorb a lot of moisture during the construction process and your description of the problem is not uncommon and exacerbated by the latest Building Regulations that are designed to reduce air leakage from the structure. The building needs to be allowed to breath as much as possible. The vents on the window are only really designed to deal with the moisture produced in the day-to-day habitation of the house and are incapable of circulating enough air to dry out a damp structure. The windows need to be opened fully whenever you get the chance. Similarly wardrobe doors need to be kept open to allow the air to circulate. It is correct to keep the heating on a low setting in order to minimise shrinkage cracking.
The builder should provide a dehumidifier to speed up the process, but be warned, they require regular maintenance to empty the drip tray.

canafindaname · 24th July 2007, 18:29

We have just moved into a new build and have also been experiencing a similar issue. We are built on a slope (front to back). Our lounge is at the back and bottom with a balcony to the master bedroom above. We have mould growing over the walls and the builder put this down to paint of wet plaster and to allow drying out, ie opening windows etc.. Unfortunately we only have french doors on the lower level and during this rainy season they can not be opened often. We submitted the initial snagging list and it took 2 weeks for someone to look at the mould. In the meantime we demanded a dehumidifier and whilst things appeared better after it had been running 19hours out of 24, we emptied 16lts of water every 8hours, things still smell damp. The 'finisher' looked at the mould and then looked at the balcony and the water was not draining properly and is being absorbed into the brick. NHBC will be receiving a letter shortly, and we are awaiting a response from the builders.

joanna.coxon · 25th July 2007, 21:03

Thank you for your reply, it is nice to finally get some feedback on this problem. We will do as you suggest and demand a de-humidifier. I guess the addition of our furniture is not helping the drying out process. Would you suggest moving furniture away from the walls?

Thank you again for your help.

joanna.coxon · 25th July 2007, 21:06

What a nightmare, but it's positive news that they have identified the cause and can now move forward. In the meantime, the smell of damp while the wall dries out is not pleasant, you have my sympathy!

willyj · 25th July 2007, 22:07

joanna.coxon wrote:

Quote:

Thank you for your reply, it is nice to finally get some feedback on this problem. We will do as you suggest and demand a de-humidifier. I guess the addition of our furniture is not helping the drying out process. Would you suggest moving furniture away from the walls?

Thank you again for your help.

The key is air circulation.
Anything you can do to improve this will help and that includes moving furniture away from the walls.

Sycamore Chase · 17th September 2007, 12:46

Sycamore Chase wrote:

Quote:

Hi,

I currently reside on a Persimmon site called Sycamore Chase, in Manchester a friend also purchased a flat three months ago only to find that there is mould on his skirting boards. His neighbour also has this problem however alot worse and her carpets are due to be chaged replaced because of this, the problem is due to excess water in the plasterboard and skirting board as a result of the roof leaking or not being fitted when the affected areas where put in place. My first request would be for Persimmon to supply a Dehumidifier take pictures of how much water is obtained. Also ensure they pay for the extra electricity used, only when the property is completley dry would I let any work take place. Make NHBC aware of this issue also just to be safe.

Regards,

Paul

www.sycamorechase.co.uk