Services/Building services

Damp proofing in West London

Rising, penetrating and condensation are three different problems that look identical on a wall. We find the cause before we quote the fix.

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1–3weeks, typically
Causefound first
Metersurvey, not a guess
Guaranteedmembrane systems

Listed, vetted and reviewed on

Ogival Ltd, registered in England & Wales no. 15191703 · Public liability insured · NICEIC registered electrical work · Gas Safe registered plumbing and heating

Most damp we're called to isn't rising damp. It's a leaking gutter, a bridged cavity, a raised path above the damp course, or condensation from a bathroom with no working extractor. Injecting a chemical damp course into a wall with a leaking downpipe behind it wastes your money and fixes nothing.

The three damps

Rising: tide-marked staining to about a metre, salts on the plaster, worse in winter. Genuinely less common than it's sold.
Penetrating: patches that track a defect — a gutter, a cracked render, a failed pointing joint — and get worse after rain.
Condensation: black mould in corners, behind furniture, around windows. It's a ventilation and heating problem, not a wall problem.

Damp investigation, membranes and making good

What's included in a damp proofing job

Our damp and plastering team handle the whole of it, so there's no second company to chase and no gap between trades for something to fall through.

Moisture meter survey
Cause diagnosis
External defect repairs
Injected damp proof course
Damp proof membranes
Salt-resistant re-plastering
Ventilation improvements
Sub-floor ventilation
Drainage and ground level corrections
Guarantees

Send a photo of the damp patch

Photograph the patch, then the outside wall behind it. The outside photo is usually the one that tells us what's wrong.

WhatsApp a photo Free site visit and written quote · No obligation

At a glance

ServiceDamp proofing
GroupBuilding services
Typically1–3 weeks
CoveringWest London
BasedLondon W10

Why Ogival

25 years in London construction
Thirty-one trades under one contractor
Drawings and calculations in-house
A written schedule of works and payments
NICEIC and Gas Safe registered

How we work

Options

The three damps, and how to tell them apart

Rising damp

A tide mark to about a metre, salts in the plaster, worse in winter. Genuinely less common than it's sold.

Penetrating damp

Patches that track an external defect and worsen after rain — a gutter, a cracked render, a failed joint.

Condensation damp

Black mould in corners, behind furniture and around windows. A ventilation and heating problem, not a wall problem.

Quickest way to get an answer

Send a photo of the damp patch.

Photograph the patch, then the outside wall behind it. The outside photo is usually the one that tells us what's wrong.

No form, no callback queue, no salesman. Emanuel looks at it himself and tells you what he sees — including the times the answer is that you don't need us.

WhatsApp a photo Call 07428 135100

OOgivalonline

Damp patch in the back bedroom. Photos inside and out attached.

Thanks — and the outside photo is the one that answers it.

Your downpipe is discharging straight onto the brickwork, right where the patch is inside. That's penetrating damp, not rising.

Fix the downpipe and the gully first, let the wall dry, then replaster. A fraction of what a chemical DPC would have cost you.

Message

A typical exchange. Usually answered the same day.

How it runs

How a damp proofing job runs, stage by stage

Four stages, and you'll always know which one you're in.

01
Damp survey and meter readings
Meter readings, external inspection and a look at the ground levels, gutters and drainage before any conclusion.
02
Diagnosis in writing
We tell you which of the three it is and what caused it, in writing.
03
Fix the cause first
Gutters, pointing, ground levels or ventilation — whatever is actually letting the water in.
04
Treat and re-plaster
Membrane or DPC where genuinely needed, then salt-resistant plaster and decoration.

Damp investigation, membranes and making good

Recent projects

Damp problems we've fixed

Damp and water problems traced to the cause, then fixed.

A top-floor flat at The GrampiansRead the case study →

The Grampians, W6Read the case study →

All our case studies

Permissions

Surveys, guarantees and what a lender wants

Damp work isn't notifiable, but a mortgage lender or a buyer's surveyor may ask for a report and a guarantee. That's worth knowing before you accept a cheap injection with no diagnosis behind it.

Rules change and every property is different. We confirm what applies to yours in writing at the survey rather than leaving you to guess.

A written damp report with meter readings is what lenders and surveyors ask for
Installed membrane systems carry manufacturer guarantees when fitted to specification
Ventilation improvements may be needed to satisfy building regulations after works
Ground levels bridging a damp course are a common cause and a cheap fix

Budget

How much does a damp proofing cost in London?

We don't publish prices, because a number without a survey is a guess and you'd be right not to trust it. These are the things that actually move it.

Whether the cause is external and needs access or scaffold

Length of wall affected

Whether plaster has to come off and be replaced

Sub-floor access and ventilation work

Ground level or drainage alterations outside

How long does a damp proofing job take?

1–3 weeks on site for a typical job in West London, though the drawings, permissions and party wall process before it can add longer. We give you a written programme with the quote so you can see both.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing, and the quote comes with a written schedule of works so you can see what every stage is for.

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Before you appoint anyone

Four questions to ask before you hire anyone for damp proofing work

Ask them of us as well. The answers tell you more than the number at the bottom of the page — and a contractor who can't answer them quickly is telling you something too.

Ask us right now

01
Ask them to look outside before they quote for anything inside
02
Be wary of a chemical injection quoted without a meter survey
03
Ask what happens if the damp returns, and what the guarantee actually covers
04
Ask whether the cause has been identified, in writing

What clients say

Word of mouth, written down.

Left by Ogival customers on MyBuilder and TrustATrader

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.

★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.
★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

Read them in full on MyBuilder, TrustATrader and Houzz.

Where we work

Damp proofing across West London.

Damp surveys and treatment across West London's Victorian and Edwardian stock, where solid walls, raised pavements and blocked gullies cause most of what gets called rising damp.

Ogival, W10 5DW
Everyday patch, within 10 miles
Regular work, 10 to 20 miles
By arrangement, out to 30 miles

Where we do this most

Outside this? Ask anyway. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right firm for the journey.

Questions we get asked

Damp questions we answer every week.

The questions that come up on the phone most often, answered the way we'd answer them on site.

How do I know if it's rising damp?

A tide mark up to around a metre, salt deposits and a meter reading pattern that decreases with height. Many walls diagnosed as rising damp are nothing of the sort — the test is whether there's a genuine defect in or bridging the damp course.

Do you charge for a damp survey?

A first look and an honest opinion costs nothing. A full written report with meter readings, where you need one for a sale or a dispute, is chargeable.

Will the damp come back after treatment?

Not if the cause was dealt with. It always comes back if only the symptom was treated, which is why we start with the cause.

Is black mould in the corners rising damp?

Almost never. That pattern is condensation, and the answer is ventilation, heating and insulation rather than a chemical injection.

The rest of what we do

Damp proofing, and thirty other things we do

Most jobs pull in more than one of these. Having them all under the same roof is what stops a project stalling for three weeks waiting on somebody else's diary.

Building servicesWaterproofing & tanking

Building servicesDrainage & rainwater

Interiors & finishingPainting & decorating

Building servicesPlumbing & heating

Building servicesElectrical

Building servicesGardens & landscaping

Building servicesExternal cleaning

Building servicesRoofing

See all thirty-one services

Start here

Tell us what you're planning.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing. If the job isn't right for us, we'll say so and point you somewhere better.

Free, no-obligation site visit and written quote
You deal with Emanuel, not a sales rep
A written schedule of works and payments before anything starts
Covering Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham

07428 135100 info@ogival.co.uk

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