Damp Specialists in Glossop, Derbyshire

Weather Wise Solutions Limited are damp, mould and condensation specialists based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and we survey and treat homes in Glossop and the surrounding High Peak villages. If your walls are damp after every wet spell, mould keeps coming back in the bedroom or the cellar smells musty, we'll find the cause and explain it without the jargon. Our damp surveys are free.

Why Glossop homes get damp

Glossop sits on the western edge of the Peak District, below the moors and the road over the Snake Pass, and it grew in the 19th century around its cotton mills. Much of the town is rows of stone terraces built for mill workers, with larger stone houses, inter-war and post-war estates and newer homes around them. Hills on one side and the Pennine weather on the other mean plenty of rain, and many older homes are built into sloping ground. Put together, that gives Glossop a particular set of damp problems.

Gritstone terraces

The older terraces are mostly built of local stone with solid walls. Rain soaks into the face of the wall and is meant to dry out again; when hard cement pointing, render or modern paint stops that, the moisture works its way through to the inside. Gutters, downpipes and chimney stacks on long terraced roofs are other frequent culprits, and one blocked gutter can soak the wall of the house next door too. We look along the terrace as well as at your house.

Houses built into slopes

Where a house is built into a hillside, the back wall or the cellar wall can have earth against it. Water in that ground will try to get through, which is why damp cellars and damp back walls are common here. Sometimes the answer is drainage outside; sometimes it's tanking inside. We wrote about a related question in whether a chimney breast needs tanking.

Condensation in a cold climate

Cold stone walls and long winters make condensation and black mould very common, particularly in bedrooms on outside walls, in kitchens and bathrooms, and behind furniture. It's often blamed on rising damp when it isn't, so we take readings to tell the two apart.

Damp problems we treat in Glossop

• Penetrating damp: rain coming through stonework, pointing, chimneys and gutters. See penetrating damp.
• Damp cellars and back walls: water from the ground pushing through below-ground walls. See cellar and basement waterproofing.
• Condensation and black mould: moisture from daily life on cold walls and windows. See condensation and mould.
• Rising damp: ground moisture at the base of a wall, confirmed before we treat it. See rising damp.
• Timber decay: wet rot and dry rot where timber has stayed damp. See wet rot.

How we fix it

We start with the cause. Rain getting in is stopped from the outside by repointing in a suitable mortar, repairing gutters and downpipes, or sorting out a chimney. Below-ground walls can be tanked: we use a tanking system to stop the damp and then a suitable plaster, and as a fully approved Remmers installer our tanking is covered by a Remmers manufacturer guarantee. Where rising damp is confirmed we fit a damp proof course, and every damp proof course we install comes with a 20-year insurance-backed guarantee. Condensation is tackled by reducing moisture and improving ventilation, which can include a positive input ventilation unit.

What happens at your survey

We'll ask where the damp is and when it's at its worst, then take moisture readings inside and look at the stonework, pointing, gutters, chimney, ground levels and anything built against the walls outside. You'll get a plain explanation before we go and a written quote if work is needed. If the problem needs a roofer or a plumber instead, we'll tell you.

Most surveys are free. The paid services are the Home Buyer Quote at £349, the Full Damp & Timber Report at £449 and the Ventilation Inspection & Report at £349. For rented homes we arrange the visit with the landlord or their letting agent.

Who will survey your home

Our surveying team includes professionals holding the Certified Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (CSTDB) qualification alongside the Level 3 Award DMCB and the City & Guilds-recognised FODCS qualification. See our qualified surveyors page. We're members of the Damp Proofing Association, the Federation of Damp and Trust a Trader, and we're CHAS accredited and Google Guaranteed.

Areas we cover around Glossop

We survey homes across Glossop, Hadfield, Gamesley, Charlesworth, Tintwistle and Simmondley, and further into the High Peak in New Mills and Chapel-en-le-Frith. Close by we cover Stockport, Tameside and Ashton-under-Lyne. Elsewhere in Derbyshire see Buxton, Derby and Chesterfield, or our Derbyshire page.

Questions Glossop homeowners ask

Do you cover Glossop?

Yes. We survey homes across Glossop and the High Peak, and the survey is free.

My cellar is damp. Can it be made dry?

In most cases, yes. Depending on the cause, that might mean drainage outside, tanking inside, or both. We'll explain which after looking at it.

The damp is on the wall shared with next door. Whose problem is it?

It depends where the water is coming from. A shared gutter, chimney or roof is a common cause, so we look at both sides from the outside before saying.

Is black mould in my bedroom a sign of rising damp?

Usually not. Mould high on walls and in corners is normally condensation. Rising damp shows low down, so readings tell them apart.

How do I book?

Call 01782 901101 or use our contact page.

Book a free damp survey in Glossop

If damp, mould or condensation is a problem in your Glossop home, call Weather Wise Solutions on 01782 901101 or get in touch through our contact page, and we'll find out why it's happening.