Damp Specialists in Chorley, Lancashire

Weather Wise Solutions Limited is a damp, mould and timber specialist working in Chorley and the villages around it, from Euxton and Buckshaw Village to Whittle-le-Woods and Adlington. Our damp surveys are free, so the first step is simple: a surveyor looks at the problem in your home and tells you what's causing it.

Chorley's homes and why they get damp

Chorley grew on cotton. Most of the mills have gone, but the streets of terraced houses built for the people who worked in them are still a big part of the town, especially around the centre. Those terraces usually have solid brick walls with no cavity, suspended timber ground floors and chimney breasts that are no longer used. They were built to let moisture in and out. Cement render, gypsum plaster, vinyl paint, raised paths and blocked air bricks all get in the way of that, and that's when damp starts to show.

Further out, the picture changes. Astley Village was built as a new village in the 1970s, and Chorley and its villages have plenty of semis and estate houses from the middle and later part of the twentieth century. Most of these have cavity walls, so the problems are different: condensation, mould in cold corners and around window reveals, and damp where a path or patio has been built up above the damp proof course. The newer homes at Buckshaw Village, on the old Royal Ordnance Factory site, are well sealed. That's good for heating bills, but it means moisture from cooking, showers and drying washing has nowhere to go unless the ventilation is doing its job.

Then there's the weather. Chorley sits at the foot of the West Pennine Moors, and rain carried in on westerly winds hits the town's exposed walls and gable ends hard. In the villages towards the moors, such as Brinscall, Wheelton and Heapey, there are older cottages, some of them stone-built, with thick walls that can stay wet for long spells after a run of bad weather.

The problems we find in homes like these, and how we fix them

Rising damp, or something that looks like it

Tide marks and salts along the bottom of a ground floor wall are the classic worry in a terrace. Sometimes it is rising damp from a failed or missing damp proof course. Just as often something is bridging it: a raised path outside, a rendered plinth, plaster run down to the floor, or a solid floor laid against the wall. We find out which before recommending anything, because a new damp proof course won't help if the real problem is outside. Where a new damp proof course is the right answer, it comes with a 20-year insurance backed guarantee. More on rising damp treatment.

Penetrating damp on exposed walls

Wet patches that grow after heavy rain, usually on a gable end or a wall facing the weather, point to water getting in from outside. Worn pointing, cracked render, overflowing gutters, leaking downpipes and tired chimneys are the usual suspects. The fix is to stop the water where it gets in, then deal with the damaged plaster inside. See penetrating damp.

Condensation and black mould

Once the heating goes on in autumn, mould becomes the most common worry: in bedroom corners, behind wardrobes, around window reveals and on bathroom ceilings. That's condensation, and it comes from moisture in the air meeting cold surfaces, not from a leak. We measure the humidity and the surface temperatures, look at how the home is heated and ventilated, and recommend what will actually change it, from better extraction to positive input ventilation. See mould and condensation.

Damp cellars

Where a house has a cellar, damp walls and a musty smell are common, because the walls sit against wet ground all year round. Tanking is often the answer. We use a Remmers tanking system to hold back the damp, followed by a suitable plaster, and because we're a fully approved Remmers installer the tanking is covered by a Remmers manufacturer guarantee. See basement and cellar work.

Rot and woodworm in floors and roofs

Suspended timber floors need air moving underneath them. When air bricks are blocked or buried, the timbers sit in damp, still air, and wet rot or dry rot can take hold, usually at the joist ends where they sit in the wall. A floor that feels springy near the wall, a musty smell when you lift the carpet, or skirting boards going soft are all worth getting looked at. In roof spaces, woodworm is the more likely find, and we've written about it in woodworm in Chorley roof spaces. See wet rot, dry rot and woodworm treatment.

New patios and driveways

A problem that catches people out in newer homes is damp appearing indoors a few months after a new patio or driveway goes in, because the new surface sits too high against the wall. We explain why in why damp can appear after a new patio or driveway is installed.

Areas we cover around Chorley

We cover Chorley town and both of its postcode districts. PR6 takes in Whittle-le-Woods, Clayton-le-Woods, Astley Village, Brinscall, Wheelton and Withnell. PR7 includes Euxton, Buckshaw Village, Coppull, Charnock Richard, Eccleston and Adlington. Close by, we also cover Wigan, Bolton, St Helens and Southport.

Our surveyors

Our surveying team includes professionals holding the Level 3 Award in Damp, Mould and Condensation in Buildings (L3 Award DMCB), the Certified Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (CSTDB) qualification and the City & Guilds-recognised Federation of Damp Certified Surveyor (FODCS) qualification. You can meet our surveyors here.

We're members of the Damp Proofing Association, the Federation of Damp and Trust a Trader, and we're CHAS accredited and Google Guaranteed.

Questions Chorley homeowners ask us

Is the damp survey really free?

Yes, our damp surveys are free. A surveyor comes out, looks at the problem and tells you what's causing it.

My terrace has a damp patch at the bottom of the wall. Do I need a new damp proof course?

Not necessarily. In older terraces the cause is often something bridging the damp proof course that's already there, such as a raised path, render or plaster touching the floor. Condensation behind furniture can look similar too. Each needs a different fix, and a survey tells you which one you've got.

Why does my newer house in Buckshaw Village get condensation?

Newer homes are built to keep heat in, and that keeps moisture in as well. If extractor fans aren't used or trickle vents are kept shut, the water from showers, cooking and drying washing settles on the coldest surfaces, usually windows and outside corners. Better ventilation is normally the answer, not damp proofing.

Do you work in the villages as well as the town?

Yes. We cover the PR6 and PR7 areas, including Euxton, Coppull, Adlington, Whittle-le-Woods, Clayton-le-Woods, Eccleston and the villages under the moors.

What guarantees come with the work?

Every damp proof course we install comes with a 20-year insurance backed guarantee. Our tanking is covered by a Remmers manufacturer guarantee, because we're a fully approved Remmers installer. Your surveyor will explain what applies to the work they recommend.

Book your free damp survey in Chorley

If you've got damp, mould or a soft floor in your Chorley home, the quickest way to find out why is a free survey. Call us on 01782 901101 or book online, and we'll arrange a visit.