FAQ's
Our Surveyors knowledge and experience aided with various devices can diagnose the cause of the damp problem and risks of attack to the adjacent timbers from beetle infestation and fungal decay.
Attacks by wood boring insects varies with species and types of timber involved in the construction and their exposure to the elements. Our inspections are of a non-destructive nature working around any obstructions, impediments and restriction which will be highlighted on our reports. We forward a report of findings, recommendations and cost of repairs, with a sketch plan if needed.
Yes, all of our Surveying staff are qualified and have a vast experience of damp issues over the last 40 years or more. It is also important to remember that in house training as well as membership of the Property Care Association [formally BWPDA] sets strict training standards, awarding industry recognised qualifications.
Many people, when they see black spot mould on walls, instantly assume that they have rising damp which is often not the case. Rising damp is normally caused by an ingress of water from the ground which enters the building by capillary action through porous building materials such as brick, sandstone or mortar. Rising damp rarely reaches a height of more than 1.5 meters and quite often a “tide mark” appears on the lower section of walls due to soluble salts (particularly nitrates and chlorides) contained within the ground water coming through the wall plaster. It is these salts that can cause the internal plaster surface to break down.
We typically use water based, boron based and polyphase chemicals for spray, brush and dip treatments. We also use various solvent based chemicals for more specific treatments.
We aim to have our reports ready within 5 working days of the damp survey being undertaken.
Generally water based permethrin insecticides are used for the majority of spray application within our woodworm treatment work. We also apply boron based and polyphase pastes and gels. Also various solvent based chemicals for deeper penetration of denser timber and for certain beetle types.
Any area scheduled for works needs to be completely cleared of furniture, stored items and floor coverings. If any item has to be left in-situ then the customer needs to ensure that this is adequately protected as we cannot be held liable for any damage to items left in-situ in an area we are working. We do put dust sheeting and sometimes boarding where necessary on floors to help with protection of your property.
If you wish to make a claim against your Guarantee you need to contact the office and advise them that you wish to make a claim. You will then be sent out the requisite form to complete. With any re-inspection against the Guarantee, there is a fee of £75.00 + VAT to pay but once an inspection has been carried out, if your claim is valid, then this fee will be refunded.
We do charge a nominal fee for undertaking a survey and this fee is dependent on where the property is located and the type of survey that is being requested. However, should you proceed with any recommended works following our Survey, then this survey fee will be deducted from the final invoice when the works have been completed.
The name Timkon has been associated with damp proofing and property maintenance for over 40 years. Having evolved from a building company is now both a 1st and 2nd generation family run specialist damp proofing company offering the skills of both building know how as well as remedial treatment works.
As long as 24 hours’ notice is provided then no charge will be levied.
Following the Survey, the Surveyor will produce a report with observations & recommendations, a separate estimate and, if necessary, a hand sketch drawing.
At the point of booking the survey, the customer will be asked where in the property damp is being experienced to find out a bit of a background on what has been going on. If the customer is having the damp survey done on the back of a Home Buyers Report, then we would request that the extracts from that report is emailed to us enabling the Surveyor to read the comments prior to the survey. A full property survey is more expensive than our standard survey which will inspect the areas of concern only and thereby save the client unnecessary expenses.
Timber surveys are not always as straight forward as damp surveys because we are not able to lift any floor coverings (carpet or laminate flooring), so our inspection is restricted to the areas we are able to get access to at the time of our Survey. We are able to inspect loft areas so long as they are not boarded and easily accessible. Unfortunately, there are not many vendors who are prepared to lift floor coverings in order to allow for a more intrusive survey to be undertaken.
One sign that you have a condensation or other mould problem within your property, is the appearance of Black Spot Mould (Aspergillus Niger) on walls, the back of furniture and in wardrobes, clothing, etc. When undertaking a condensation survey, the Surveyor would look at the mechanical extraction/ventilation within a property i.e. Bathroom or kitchen fans. If bedrooms are affected then often the installation of passive venting and insulation may also be required.
If you are happy with the costs provided in the estimate, then all you need to do is drop us an email at [email protected] to confirm that you wish to proceed. Once we receive your confirmation, we will email to inform you of our earliest start date and detail the third deposit required to secure the works. Please note this deposit along with any original survey fee will be deducted from the final invoice when the works have been completed.
All the staff at Timkon Services go through rigorous reference and competence checks and we don’t have a great turnaround of staff. The majority of our workforce have worked for Timkon Services for years and can be totally trusted. If we are given keys for your property then these are booked into our key safe which is locked; they are then signed in and out on a daily basis. We never label our keys they are merely given a number which is generated by a computer package which is password protected.
If we undertake either damp or timber works, due to the nature of these works and the guarantees we offer, it is up to our discretion as to which jobs are for our Timkon operative to complete and which jobs your chosen builder can complete. Any additional works or disturbance to our works carried out by a third party will not be covered by our guarantees or may invalidate them.
Although new wall plaster can give the appearance of drying out, the underlying damp brickwork, depending on the thickness, will take a considerably longer time. Any accelerated drying is not recommended as premature drying out of the top coat of skim plaster can cause cracking.
Both our damp, timber, cavity wall tie and basement waterproofing works come with a 20 Year Guarantee which can be insured if you wish, however, this is optional. All other general works come with the standard workmanship guarantee of 2 years.
There is a fee to have your Guarantee Insurance backed and we apply for this on your behalf. The cost of the Insurance will be advised at the point of the estimate being provided.
If you contact Timkon Services to pay via debit or credit card then once the payment has been taken your card details are shredded and not held on file. We will not disclose to any third party any details of our customers without the written approval of the person concerned.
Our damp proofing work covers areas such as London, Surrey, Kent, Middlesex and the Home Counties. As we are based in Leatherhead, all of these locations are within easy access to our office. If you are from outside these locations, please call us anyway and allow our professional workers to assist you in any way they can.
We separate our estimate costings out so that you have the option to choose which works you require Timkon Services to undertake. However, for any damp proofing work, in order to obtain a Guarantee, the DPC Injection & Specialist Re-plastering must be carried out by Timkon Services. Please note that there is a minimum charge for carrying out any works and this is generated on a case-by-case decision.
We pride ourselves in the training of our staff, however, we do employ trainees who are fully supervised by a qualified member of staff when working. We are committed to the continued development of our Team here at Timkon Services.
Normally, the removal of wall plasters, drill the brickwork and injecting the damp proof course chemical followed by the specialist re-plastering.
For spray timber treatment of the floors, the floor coverings are removed, various floorboards are lifted, the accessible faces and voids are spray treated and then disturbed floorboards are reinstated.
For roof void treatments, the roof voids must be cleared of stored items, boarding, insulation and dust/debris prior to our arrival or treatment.
Condensation issues are normally exacerbated because of the lack of adequate mechanical extraction and ventilation within a property. Upgrading or installing both kitchen & bathroom fans and passive vents in bedrooms are often recommended to combat the symptoms being experienced. Additional insulation and heating may also be necessary.
Our estimates are valid for a period of 3 months. If you choose to proceed and you are outside this period then Timkon Services will update the estimate and any prices accordingly.
If you sell your property and you have a valid Guarantee, then the new purchasers need to contact our office within 3 months of the purchase going through. There is a fee to transfer the Guarantee and it is £60.00 + VAT per guarantee. When you sell the property, you must ensure that you hand over the Original Guarantee to your Solicitor with the report, estimate & drawing to which the Guarantee relates. All these documents are required in order to transfer the Guarantee into the names of the new purchasers.
We can be contacted on our Office Line 01372-844534, Email: [email protected] or via our online contact form on our website.