A plain-English local guide for Cliffe homes on the Hoo Peninsula, written to help you find the cause of damp before you spend money.
Cliffe is a village on the Hoo Peninsula in Medway, and Medway Council lists it among the borough's conservation areas. Homes here are likely to include older buildings as well as later ones, so the first job is to find out what your walls are made of and where the water comes from. Condensation in an owner-occupied home with a loft may suit a loft-mounted Dryzen system. Leaks and rain getting in need a repair first.
Medway Council's introduction to its conservation area appraisals lists 24 conservation areas in the borough, and Cliffe is one of them. A conservation area is a place judged to have special architectural or historic interest, and that usually goes with a good share of older buildings. The council's list dates from a January 2021 document, so check with the council for the current boundary before you plan any work on the outside of a building.
Older walls behave differently from modern cavity walls. They are often thicker and built of softer materials that let some moisture move through. Many have been repaired over the years with harder materials, painted with sealed paints or extended at different dates, and each change can alter where moisture goes. A damp patch in an older Cliffe house is worth reading as a pattern before it is treated as one fault.
Cement render, plastic paint and gypsum plaster on an older wall can all hold moisture in. Finding out what is on the wall comes first, and removing any of it is a builder's job, not a dehumidifier's.
Patches that follow rain mean water is getting in, so check gutters, render, pointing and window seals. Spots that follow cold mornings, in corners and behind furniture, point to condensation. Our guide to furniture against outside walls shows how to read the pattern.
A Dryzen unit is mounted in the loft. In an older house with a steep roof and exposed timbers that may not be practical, and a survey will check.
Conservation area status can bring extra planning controls, and the rules depend on the council and on whether your building is listed. Before changing windows, render or the roof, check with Medway Council what applies to your property. If you are not sure whether a job needs permission, ask before work begins.
Dryzen suits owner-occupied homes with a loft, because the unit is mounted there. Each unit is rated for 150 square metres and removes about 12 litres a day, and it uses about 20 pounds a year in energy. It is not suitable for rental properties unless the landlord authorises the changes. It does not repair leaks, rain penetration or rising damp, so those come first.
Start by measuring. A hygrometer in the coldest bedroom of an older house tells you whether you are living above the 60 to 65 percent level at which mould and dust mites do well, before you decide what to change. For the full evidence, calculator and printable cheat sheet, see The Healthy Home Humidity Guide.
Medway Council lists Cliffe among its conservation areas. Check the current boundary with the council before planning changes to the outside of a building.
Thick walls take a long time to warm, and surfaces that stay cold collect condensation. Rain getting in through render, pointing or gutters can add to it.
Yes. The survey is free and includes a check that your loft is suitable.
Roughly 50 to 55 percent relative humidity is a sensible target, within the 40 to 60 percent band commonly suggested. Sustained readings above about 60 to 65 percent favour mould and dust mites. A dehumidifier helps stop the conditions they depend on, it does not clean existing mould.
Sources: Medway Council: An introduction to Conservation Area Appraisals (January 2021 draft); GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home