Hello everyone,
We are buying a house and want to address moisture issues in the laundry room: about 15cm (6 inches) above the baseboard, mold has developed in several corners and caused the wallpaper to peel. According to the current seller, this has been the case for around 10 years, since they bought the house back then. The plaster is not completely wet, but damp.
Apparently, they didn’t pay much attention to it. The moisture does not come up from the floor, but rather the room’s humidity simply accumulates there. The rest of the house is dry.
The current occupant has a dryer in the laundry room, occasionally hangs laundry there, and there is only a small window. Presumably, they do not follow correct ventilation practices (seasonal differences like summer and winter).
Question: Is it sufficient to remove the damp plaster, replaster, and paint the entire room with a vapor-permeable silicate paint? Then, minimize drying laundry in the room itself and follow proper ventilation rules? (We do not have a dryer.) Or should a specialist definitely be involved?
Example picture attached.
Thank you
We are buying a house and want to address moisture issues in the laundry room: about 15cm (6 inches) above the baseboard, mold has developed in several corners and caused the wallpaper to peel. According to the current seller, this has been the case for around 10 years, since they bought the house back then. The plaster is not completely wet, but damp.
Apparently, they didn’t pay much attention to it. The moisture does not come up from the floor, but rather the room’s humidity simply accumulates there. The rest of the house is dry.
The current occupant has a dryer in the laundry room, occasionally hangs laundry there, and there is only a small window. Presumably, they do not follow correct ventilation practices (seasonal differences like summer and winter).
Question: Is it sufficient to remove the damp plaster, replaster, and paint the entire room with a vapor-permeable silicate paint? Then, minimize drying laundry in the room itself and follow proper ventilation rules? (We do not have a dryer.) Or should a specialist definitely be involved?
Example picture attached.
Thank you
M
membersound20 Sep 2015 19:05No, it certainly isn’t nice. But I am grateful for any assessment. The rest of the house fits our needs, including the purchase price. That’s why we don’t want to be put off by a partially damp laundry room, provided it can be renovated with a manageable amount of effort.
B
Bauexperte21 Sep 2015 00:03Sebastian79 schrieb:
Did he have X-ray vision? I wouldn’t put much weight on that opinion—without a proper inspection, you’ll only get guesses here.When I inspect a property with our expert, I can fully trust his judgment ... even without him tapping the walls with a hammer or using electronic devices.Therefore, I think it would be more productive—if you want to call in Jehovah’s Witnesses—to first ask for more information, so you won’t need posts like #12 from you 😉
Regards, Bauexperte
B
Bauexperte21 Sep 2015 00:11Good evening,
Sorry, but that doesn’t make sense. No one is forcing you to purchase the property!
If your "expert" is a certified appraiser, you should also have a written report from them; this means they can be held liable if they were wrong. However, if your "expert" is a mason, carpenter, or similar, you should reconsider buying an existing building because, in my view and experience, this approach is the wrong way to go.
Smart builders only buy existing properties after an inspection by a certified expert specializing in masonry, with references confirming successful appraisal work on existing buildings 😉
Best regards, Bauexperte
membersound schrieb:
... that’s the problem: the laundry room is located in a house that we might buy / would have to buy next month.
Sorry, but that doesn’t make sense. No one is forcing you to purchase the property!
If your "expert" is a certified appraiser, you should also have a written report from them; this means they can be held liable if they were wrong. However, if your "expert" is a mason, carpenter, or similar, you should reconsider buying an existing building because, in my view and experience, this approach is the wrong way to go.
Smart builders only buy existing properties after an inspection by a certified expert specializing in masonry, with references confirming successful appraisal work on existing buildings 😉
Best regards, Bauexperte
M
membersound21 Sep 2015 08:26Bauexperte schrieb:
Good evening,
Sorry, but that makes no sense. Nobody is forcing you to buy the property!By "would have to," I meant that *if* we want the property, we would need to make a decision within the next month. Of course, it’s clear that we are not obligated to purchase it in any way 😉
As the building expert already mentioned, it clearly depends on the inspector, and in my opinion, their assessment should always be valued more highly than what can be said from behind a keyboard. It also depends, among other things, on the construction method of the basement, which the specialist will have already observed. Additionally, whether the moisture can even come from the outside—which, based on your description, seems doubtful since it also appears on interior walls.
Depending on the actual damage, there are several options available to you that the specialist should explain, including a cost estimate, so discussing costs here is of little use.
I still cautiously suspect that the problem might resolve itself or can be addressed simply with new plaster and paint if the room is used properly in the future. There is also the option to install ventilation that regulates according to the humidity level.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
Depending on the actual damage, there are several options available to you that the specialist should explain, including a cost estimate, so discussing costs here is of little use.
I still cautiously suspect that the problem might resolve itself or can be addressed simply with new plaster and paint if the room is used properly in the future. There is also the option to install ventilation that regulates according to the humidity level.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe