Damp proofing in Hove

Hove’s housing is mostly Victorian and Edwardian: solid-wall terraces, large period villas, and the mansion blocks and conversions around Brunswick Town and Cliftonville. These homes were built before cavity walls and modern damp-proofing were standard, so damp is common and usually very fixable once it’s diagnosed properly.

Why Hove homes get damp

Two things drive most of the damp we see in Hove. First, age: original slate or bitumen damp-proof courses in solid-wall terraces have often broken down, which lets rising damp climb the ground-floor walls. Second, the seafront position. Wind-driven rain off the Channel pushes water into exposed brick and render, causing penetrating damp on south and west-facing walls.

Lower-ground and garden flats, of which Hove has many, bring their own issue: walls below external ground level that need proper tanking or cavity drainage rather than ordinary plaster.

Period and listed properties

A lot of Hove sits in conservation areas, and the older the wall, the more it needs to breathe. We use treatments suited to solid-wall and period construction rather than sealing everything up, which can trap moisture and make things worse.

Mould in converted flats

Many Hove houses are now flats, and tightly converted, draught-proofed rooms often suffer condensation and black mould around windows and in corners. That’s a ventilation problem, not rising damp, and it’s usually one of the cheaper things to fix.

Wherever you are in Hove, we start with an honest survey so you only pay for what the property actually needs. Book a free survey and we’ll take a look.