Northern Underpinning & Salt Damp Treatment

What is underpinning?
An underpin is to ensure the stability of a building with reoccurring cracks. It involves digging under the buildings foundation and applying pressure or in most cases lifting the building back into its original position and then stabilizing it with concrete. Cracks can then be repaired once the concrete has cured.

How do I know if I need underpinning?
Underpinning becomes essential when the corner of a building, doorway or window start to shift or sink. This is usually noticeable by reoccurring cracks. If you are constantly repairing cracks then an underpin is required for a more permanent solution. Major cracking such as being able to see daylight through the crack or sudden crack movement should be seen to as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the building.

Salt damp:
Salt damp occurs when a building was established prior to the use of plastic dampcourse. Salt damp can be easily identified through deteriorating mortar in between the stones or brickwork and can also be seen as falling render or flaking and bubbly paint to the lower section of a wall. You may also smell a damp musty odour throughout the building

Salt damp treatment:
While there are many ideas out there about how to treat salt damp by far the most effective and permanent way is to use the undersetting method. This method involves physically removing the damp damaged areas and placing a plastic dampcourse under the building creating a water proof barrier the walls are then built back on top of this plastic creating a permanent solution to your salt damp problem. By using the undersetting method your home or building is ready for paint as soon as the work is completed, unlike injection methods where you are required to wait for a minimum of a 3 month period before any render or stone replacement can take Place