Damp/mould in new build

westisbest

We're halfway through our build, plastered inside etc and waiting for the esb hook up at the moment then we can turn the heat on. We've noticed some patches of damp in the ceiling of one of the rooms upstairs, as well as what looks like mould in the master bedroom ceiling (also upstairs) which will have wood panelling on it - it's open to the attic level in master bedroom.

We had a painter out for quote and he said it should resolve itself when the heating is turned on, but we want to be sure in case it's something we should fix now, particularly where the wood panels will be as we don't want to have to take them up later. We don't always have windows open at the moment, mostly just at the weekends when we are there as we've had problems with tradesmen not turning up when they said they would be there and have had items taken from the site when the entrance was unlocked and no-one there then for the day so don't want to leave windows open when house is empty. Internal plastering was finished about five weeks ago. Oh and we've had a look in the attic and no obvious signs of leaks there though there is quite a bit of condensation around the velux windows.

Is this something we should worry about or will it be ok once heat is on and if we open windows more often?

Thanks

MicktheMan

Your problem is more than likely ventilation related - or lack of it. The house needs to dry out (a lot of water is used in the contruction of buildings) and if all windows are closed most of the time and the house is reasonably airtight then damp and mould can result. Have you had an airtight test done? If so what was the result.

You need to (cross) ventilate the house by opening the windows on opposite sides of the building for a prolonged time to resolve. The windows don't need to be opened fully, just a bit.

westisbest

Thanks Mick, no we haven't had an air tightness test done, is this essential? We'll open the windows the next while and see if that helps.

**Side rant, we were slow previously to leave the house open as we have stonework on the front of our house and we kept the leftover stone for us to use on patio wall etc in the future but some lovely people came in to the site and helped themselves to all the nice bigger pieces for themselves for free.

Have many other builds had problems with these type of opportunistic thieves? Someone also tried to crowbar in our back window but gave up before they fully broke through, not sure if they were scared off or saw there was nothing there worth taking.

Sorry mods for going off topic but it sickens me, we're working so hard for all of this, both monetary wise and the time we have put into it, and then someone comes along and just takes what they want with no effort. Sickening.

Kashkai

I had the same trouble in my build when I left supplies (tiles, wooden flooring) in the house which then went missing. I'm 100 per cent sure it was the ba$tard builder himself who took them as he had the only other key to the house apart from mine and there were no signs of a break in. Of course I couldn't prove it but knowing the scumbag that he was, I'd bet my life on it.

As for the damp issue, it'll take 2 - 3 years for a new build to completely dry out. I used a dehumidifier to help speed up the process. It's amazing how much water this soaked up out of the air in the house. Be careful of storing clothes in the first year when you move in as we had to dump a lot if clothes that were stored in a walk in wardrobe after they became covered in mildew from the dampness in the enclosed space.

beyondpassive

Is your master bedroom ceiling on the slope. I'd try to insulate this now while you can. Be wary also about downlights in this as you cant have downlights and insulation. It couild be cold bridges as the warmer damper air collects t the high points. Best to address this now as it will be a recurring problem.

Sorrry to hear about your theft, a builder cousin of mine, got sick of tools and supplies goin walkabout from his sites. He installed some hidden surveilance equipement and found it was his own lads. Its easy to blame the lads in the slow movin white transit, but 9 times out of 10 its some one you know.

Agree with previous posters that you really do need to ventilate very well for a couple of months to get the humidity down. If security is an issue you cant leave windows open, and ventilation is dependant on this 'purge ventilation' of opening windows for 4 or 5 hours a day.

Because of our climate, moisture will always be a problem. Tricle vents and hole-in-the-wall vents are useless. Mechanical wholw house systems are becoming popular and are good for reducing humidity, failing that inverter type vents can help.

Just put it down to our low standards in ventilation and insulation and try to fix this now, while its easy.

mad m

I know this is a bit off topic, but don't forget to put down some mice/rat traps.....You'd be surprised how many can get in during a new build....

westisbest

Thanks everyone, yeah we're looking to hire or buy dehumidifiers but as we don't have electricity just yet not sure how that will work. In the meantime we'll open the windows and cross ventilate as much as we can, even if it means picnicing on site at weekends!

ProsperousDave we had roofing materials taken from our site, as well as some of our own tools that we had on site at the time, and we're 95% sure that it was one of the lads who were working on the roof. Not much we can do about that type of theft unfortunately, can't really refuse to give them the felt/lead/etc they need (felt and lead both mysteriously disappeared while they were there). Soon as the electricity is up and running we're getting alarm and camera system installed, and none of the trades will have the code,see if it cuts down on disappearing supplies.

Kashkai

Trouble with that is you'll need to be on site for every delivery and when trades are working in the house. The sparks who installed our alarm gave the code to the builder without my knowledge and thus this negated having an alarm as the builder and his subbies all had the alarm code. When I asked the sparks for the engineering code so that I could change the access code, he refused on the grounds that I would "mess up the alarm" but that he'd change the code for me for 80 euro. I told him to take this amount out of the money I owed but hadn't paid him yet and then the penny dropped with him and he changed the code as requested.