Case Study · Commercial Damp Proofing
Damp Proofing a Pizza Hut Restaurant in West London
Rising damp in a historic 1800s restaurant building, fixed without the restaurant losing a single day of trade, by working overnight around the business.
Written by Sam Fitzgerald, Founder & Surveyor
Pizza Hut (West London branch)
Hospitality / restaurant
West London
Historic 1800s, period detail
Rising damp
Overnight, 10 days, zero closure
The Brief
This Pizza Hut occupies a historic 1800s building in West London, full of period detail, and like many older buildings it had developed rising damp. The catch was that it is a busy, trading restaurant.
Closing for the works was not an option. Every closed day is lost revenue, and in a food-service environment damp is a health and hygiene issue, not just a cosmetic one. On top of that, the historic fabric of the building had to be protected.
The Challenge
Our Approach
We agreed an overnight working schedule with the restaurant’s management, so all the disruptive work happened after closing. Each evening the team covered and protected every work area; each morning everything was cleaned and restored so the restaurant could open exactly as normal.
Over 10 days, we treated the rising damp and installed a damp proof membrane system to the affected walls, working throughout in a way that respected the building’s period features.
The Outcome
The restaurant is now free of rising damp, its historic charm intact and a healthier environment for staff and customers, all achieved without losing a single day of trade. The damp proofing is backed by our written 20-year guarantee.
Why It Matters
For a trading restaurant, shop or any commercial premises, downtime is lost revenue, and in a food business, damp is a health and hygiene concern as much as a building one. Being able to treat damp out of hours, protect the space every night and hand it back spotless every morning is what lets a hospitality or retail business fix the problem properly without ever closing the doors. It is the approach we bring to commercial damp proofing across London.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you carry out damp proofing without closing my restaurant or shop?
Yes. We regularly work overnight or out of hours, protecting and cleaning the space around each shift, so commercial premises can keep trading throughout the works, exactly as this Pizza Hut did.
Can damp proofing be done on a period or historic building?
Yes, using methods and materials chosen to protect the historic fabric. Older buildings are exactly where rising damp tends to appear, so they need a careful, heritage-aware approach rather than a one-size-fits-all treatment.
How long does rising damp treatment take in a commercial property?
It depends on the size of the area and how much access is available, but a project like this one ran to around 10 days working overnight. We confirm timings after a survey.
Run a Restaurant, Shop or Commercial Premises With Damp?
We treat damp in commercial premises with as little disruption to trade as possible. It is worth a conversation if you have:
Start with a survey and we will set out the right treatment and a schedule that works around your business.
Related Case Studies
Damp in your commercial premises?
Book a survey and we will diagnose the cause and plan the works around your trading hours, backed by our 20-year damp proofing guarantee.
Sam Fitzgerald is the founder of Advanced Damp and a working damp and structural waterproofing surveyor with over 12 years of experience diagnosing and treating moisture problems in residential and commercial properties across London and the South East. He is FODCS certified (a Federation of Damp Certified Surveyor) and a member of the Federation of Damp. His hands-on work covers rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, basement waterproofing to BS 8102, and thermal imaging surveys, and he has personally completed over 400 damp surveys across properties of every type and age. Everything he writes draws directly from jobs he has carried out. He does not write about treatments, products or causes he has not dealt with first-hand in the field.
