Damp Proofing Hackney

Hackney grew rapidly in the second half of the nineteenth century, and most of its streets in Dalston, Clapton, Stoke Newington, Homerton and around London Fields are lined with Victorian terraces. Alongside them are earlier Georgian houses, large post war estates, and warehouses and factories converted into flats and live work spaces, especially around Hackney Wick.

The ground is a mix of river terrace gravels and London Clay, with the Lea valley and Hackney Marshes along the eastern edge. The lost Hackney Brook once ran across the borough from Holloway to the River Lea, and its old course still affects drainage in some streets. Near the Lea and the Regent's Canal, the water table is higher and lower floors are more exposed to ground moisture.

The typical Hackney terrace has solid brick walls, a suspended timber ground floor and an original slate or bitumen damp proof course. Over a century or more, ground levels at the front and back creep up, paths and patios bridge the damp proof course, and air bricks get covered over. Those are the most common causes of rising damp we find here.

Front and rear walls also take a lot of weather. Original soft red and yellow stock bricks have often been repointed in hard cement mortar, which traps water in the brick face and leads to spalling and damp patches inside, especially on the side of the house facing the prevailing wind.

Many Hackney terraces have a London roof, a V shaped butterfly roof hidden behind a front parapet. The central valley gutter and the parapet gutters block easily with leaves and debris, and when they overflow, water runs into the walls and shows as damp on top floor ceilings, chimney breasts and party walls.

Damp left in floor voids leads to wet rot in joists, and in neglected houses we sometimes find dry rot under floors or behind skirtings. We check floor voids and ventilation as part of the survey so timber problems are dealt with before they spread.

Warehouse and factory conversions bring different problems. Thick walls, lower floors near canal or ground level and old openings filled with mixed materials let water in, and the answer is often structural waterproofing designed to BS 8102:2022 rather than a chemical damp proof course.

Hackney has a very high share of rented and shared homes, and condensation and black mould are some of the most common problems we see, particularly in converted flats, basement rooms and post war blocks. Missing or weak extract fans and laundry dried indoors are usually behind it, and the fix is better ventilation rather than damp proofing.

We also work for landlords and letting agents across the borough. Our reports separate rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation clearly, so landlords and tenants can see what is causing the problem and who needs to do what to resolve it.

Because damp in Hackney can come from the ground, the roof or the way a home is used, the survey always comes first. Our CSSW and CSRT trained surveyors take moisture readings, use thermal imaging where it helps, and check drainage, pointing, ground levels and ventilation before recommending anything. You get a written report with photos that explains the cause in plain language and sets out the fix, with no obligation.

We cover E8, E5, E9 and N16, including Dalston, London Fields, Clapton, Homerton, Hackney Wick, Stoke Newington and Hackney Central. Surveys are arranged from our London office at 45 Fitzroy Street.