Rising Damp Treatment to a Bay Window Room on Lucerne Road, Highbury N5
A property on Lucerne Road in Highbury had rising damp in two areas, including the walls around a ground floor bay window. The survey also picked up external defects that needed attention alongside the internal treatment.
Project at a Glance
The Brief
The owner had damp at low level in the ground floor rooms and wanted to know what was causing it and how to put it right properly.
The Survey
The survey confirmed two separate areas of rising damp, including the walls around the bay window.
Outside, the surveyor recorded structural cracking to the external walls, minor cracking to the render, deteriorated mastic seals and a rotten timber door threshold. Defects like these let water reach the base of the walls, so they were set out in the report for the owner to address as well as the internal work.
The Solution
A full rising damp treatment to both affected areas:
- Lift skirting and remove damp and salt contaminated plaster to expose the brickwork.
- Inject a new chemical damp proof course into the mortar course.
- Apply a waterproof render to the treated walls.
- Replaster to a smooth finish ready for decoration.
The Work
The work ran from 29 June to 1 July 2026. Floors and furniture were protected throughout, and the photos show the bay stripped back to brick, rendered, and then finished.
The Result
The bay window room was handed back with the treated walls replastered and ready to dry out before decorating with a breathable paint. Victorian terraces across Highbury and Islington often show rising damp at low level like this. See our page on damp proofing in Islington.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know it is rising damp and not condensation?
The surveyor looks at the moisture profile up the wall, salt contamination and the pattern of staining. Rising damp is highest at the base and falls with height, which condensation does not do.
Why does the plaster have to come off?
Rising damp carries salts into the plaster. Those salts keep drawing moisture from the air, so the old plaster is removed and replaced with a salt resistant render system.
Do external defects need fixing too?
Yes. Cracked render, failed mastic and a rotten threshold can all let water into the base of a wall, so they should be repaired alongside the internal treatment.
Rising damp in Highbury?
Our CSSW and CSRT trained surveyors find the real cause before recommending any work. Non-invasive survey with a clear written report. No obligation.
Project completed by Advanced Damp in Highbury, N5.
Sam Fitzgerald is the founder of Advanced Damp and a working damp and structural waterproofing surveyor 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.
