The valleys are built of solid-wall stone terraces, where standard damp advice can cause real damage. We diagnose them correctly — referenced to BS 7913 — where almost no one else in the region can.
Buildings put up before about 1919 were built to breathe. Solid stone walls, lime mortar and lime plaster let moisture move in and evaporate back out — the joints were the sacrificial, porous element that shed water. There was no damp-proof course because the wall managed moisture itself.
Over the last century, many of these homes were "improved" with cement render, gypsum plaster, impermeable paints, injected damp-proof courses and sealed floors. On a breathing wall, those modern materials trap moisture in the fabric — which is then misread as rising damp and "treated" with more of the same. The result is recurring damp, decaying stone and rotting timber.
We use comparative moisture readings rather than misleading absolute percentages, thermal imaging to map where moisture and cold bridging really sit, and dew-point analysis to separate condensation from genuine ingress. Every diagnosis considers multiple mechanisms at once — and never defaults to blaming the occupant's lifestyle.
Crucially, we have nothing to sell. We don't fit damp courses, render or membranes, so our only interest is telling you what's actually happening and the conservation-appropriate way to put it right.
Full diagnostic survey with comparative meter readings and a written report identifying the moisture mechanism and causes.
Solid-wall diagnosis with a breathability narrative — the correct approach for traditional fabric.
Conflict-free buyer's reports — damp diagnosis plus condition, with conservation-led repair direction. See the homeowners page.
The deepest dive — comprehensive fabric, moisture and repair report for a period property.
Get a diagnosis that respects how the building actually works.