Almost every damp repair we quote in August could have been prevented by a twenty-minute inspection in April. Water damage is cheap to prevent and expensive to fix, and the gap between those two numbers is where most of the frustration lives.
Terrace and roof
- Pour a bucket of water and watch where it goes. If it pools rather than running to a drain, you have a slope problem.
- Check drain outlets for blockages — leaves, cement debris, bird nests.
- Look for hairline cracks in the existing coating, especially at parapet junctions.
- Check where pipes penetrate the slab. These joints fail before the flat areas do.
External walls
- Look for cracks in plaster, particularly above and below windows.
- Check sealant around window and door frames for gaps.
- Note any existing staining — it marks where water already runs.
- Check that AC drain pipes discharge away from the wall, not down it.
Balconies and bathrooms
- Balcony floors should slope to the drain, not to the door.
- Check tile grout for cracks and missing sections.
- In bathrooms, look at the wall on the far side for early staining.
- Check that the bathroom floor drain runs freely.
What to do with what you find
Small cracks and blocked drains are maintenance you can arrange cheaply. Ponding water, spreading stains or blistering paint are structural signals and worth a professional inspection. We inspect and diagnose free, and will tell you plainly if the answer is a plumber rather than a coating.
Want this priced for your own home?
We measure on site, inspect the surfaces and give you a fixed written quote — free, and with no obligation to book.
