Damp Proofing in Newcastle upon Tyne
We treat damp across Newcastle, from Tyneside flats in Heaton (NE6) and Sandyford (NE2) to Victorian terraces in Jesmond, Fenham (NE4) and Arthur's Hill, student lets around Jesmond and Spital Tongues, and basement flats in the city centre (NE1). Ring us to book a free survey with a fixed written price.
Newcastle housing stock, and what it means for damp
Newcastle has one of the most distinctive housing stocks in the country. Tyneside flats and Victorian terraces across Heaton, Byker and Fenham were built with solid brick walls and, in many cases, no effective damp proof course, which is why rising damp and penetrating damp remain the two problems we are called to most often in the city.
In Jesmond and around the university quarter, a lot of property is rented and heavily occupied. That combination produces a great deal of moisture, and where ventilation has not kept pace it shows up as condensation and black mould on cold surfaces, around windows and in corners. It looks like damp, but treating it as rising damp would be money wasted.
Further out, in Gosforth, Kingston Park and the post war suburbs, the walls are cavity built, and the problems change. Corroding cavity wall ties and blocked air bricks that leave floor timbers open to rot and woodworm are far more common there. Each of these has a specific treatment, which is why the survey always comes first.
Common problems we treat in Newcastle upon Tyne
Rising damp in Tyneside flats and terraces
Solid walled Tyneside flats and terraces were built without a modern damp proof course, so ground moisture travels up through the brickwork.
Damp proofingPenetrating damp through failed pointing and render
Exposed elevations on the west and north of the city take a battering. Once pointing or render fails, rain soaks straight through a solid wall.
Damp proofingCondensation and black mould in student and rented property
Heavily occupied houses in areas such as Jesmond and Heaton produce a lot of moisture, and ventilation rarely keeps pace with it.
Mould and condensation controlRot and woodworm in suspended timber floors
Blocked or paved over air bricks starve a sub floor of ventilation, and floor timbers decay quietly underneath.
Woodworm treatmentCracked brickwork from corroding wall ties
Post war cavity walls across the outer suburbs are prone to tie corrosion, which shows as horizontal cracking along the mortar beds.
Wall tie replacementDamp walls at the junction with a new extension
Where a new build joins an older house, existing damp or timber defects need dealing with while the structure is open.
House extensions
Property types in Newcastle and the damp they get
Different houses fail in different ways. This is what we find most often in the property you are likely to be living in or letting.
Tyneside flats
Pairs of flats in one terrace, common in Heaton, Sandyford and Arthur's Hill. The ground floor flat gets rising damp from a failed or bridged damp proof course, while the upper flat more often has condensation. One fault can affect both, so we look at the whole building.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Solid brick walls in Jesmond, Fenham and Gosforth. We see rising damp where yards and paths have been raised, penetrating damp through worn pointing and chimney stacks, and rot in suspended timber floors where air bricks are blocked.
Student lets
Houses in multiple occupation around Jesmond, Heaton and Spital Tongues have more people, more cooking and more washing drying indoors. Condensation and black mould are the usual complaint, often alongside a real structural fault that needs fixing first.
Basement and lower ground flats
Common in the city centre and larger Jesmond terraces. Walls below ground are wet from the soil behind them, so they need waterproofing to BS 8102, such as a cavity drain membrane, rather than a damp proof course.
A job we are on in Newcastle right now
Every photograph we publish is from work carried out by our own team. Nothing is staged and nothing is bought in from a picture library.
Rear extension build, Newcastle
A rear extension in Newcastle taken from a marked out patch of ground through foundations, drainage, blockwork and brickwork up to flat roof height, with the skylight and internal works following. The existing house was surveyed first, including the walls the new structure joins onto, because there is no sense building a new space against a damp or defective old one.
It is the same principle behind all our refurbishment work. The structure has to be dry and sound before any finishing trade starts.
Every service, delivered in Newcastle by our own team
Nothing is subcontracted. The people who survey your property are the people who carry out the work, and guaranteed treatments are covered for 10 years.
Where we work in Newcastle upon Tyne
If your district is not listed, it is still worth asking. We cover the wider North East from North Shields.
- Newcastle city centre
- Gosforth
- Jesmond
- Heaton
- Byker
- Fenham
- Kingston Park
What customers say about our work
A selection of recent Google reviews from across North Tyneside and Newcastle.
Jade did a fantastic job sorting the damp issues at the bottom of our stairs, super super friendly and polite and great work overall!! Kind and respectful and ensured I was happy with the work that was done before leaving. If we needed any further works done in the future I'd hope they'd send Jade out again to provide the same high quality work. Smashing job :)
Owen Jade & David done the plastering for me, both incredibly professional & super friendly! Went above & beyond with it & engaged with my 2 little boys, very thankful
Sophie Rawsterne Absolutely delighted. David and Jade did a great job. Very professional and hard working. I would definitely recommend this company.
Catherine Craig Jade and David have been damp proofing works and have done an amazing work lovely people thank you
Emma Hawkins
Our details, the same everywhere you find us
These are the details we use on every listing and profile, so search engines can match them up.
MP Preservation & Building Ltd
- Unit 22d Oak Rd, West Chirton, North Shields, North Tyneside, NE29 8SF
- 0191 676 7900
- info@mppreservation.co.uk
Company number 12167695. Serving Newcastle upon Tyne from our North Shields base.
Where else you will find us
We are CHAS Elite accredited, a Triton Approved Installer and a Wykamol Approved Contractor. You can see the detail on our accreditations page.
Damp proofing in Newcastle, your questions answered
Damp problems by Newcastle neighbourhood
City centre
Georgian and Victorian buildings around Grainger Town, many converted into flats above shops. Penetrating damp through parapets, gutters and stonework is common, along with condensation in flats with limited ventilation.
Gosforth
Edwardian and inter war semis and terraces with suspended timber floors. We often find rising damp where paths have been raised, and rot below floors where air bricks have been blocked.
Jesmond
Large Victorian terraces and Tyneside flats, many let to students. Rising damp, damp cellars and condensation in converted flats make up most of our work here.
Heaton
Long streets of Tyneside flats where one damp problem can affect both flats. Ground floor rising damp and upper floor condensation are the usual issues.
Byker
A mix of older terraces and post war and 1970s housing. Condensation and black mould in well sealed homes, and penetrating damp on exposed elevations, are typical.
Fenham
Inter war semis and terraces on higher ground in the west of the city. Wind driven rain on exposed gables and corroding wall ties in cavity walls are both common.
Kingston Park
Mostly 1970s and later cavity walled estate housing. True rising damp is rarer, so we more often find condensation, bridged cavities and damp around extensions.
Read before you book
Two plain guides to help you understand the problem before anyone visits.
Related projects
Completed jobs from our own team, written up from start to finish.
Worried about damp in your property?
Book a free survey and we will tell you what is causing it, what needs doing and what it will cost, in writing. No pressure, no jargon, and nothing priced before the cause is confirmed.
