From Richmond and Twickenham to Teddington, Kingston and Hampton, the Thames shapes the homes alongside it. Many are beautiful period properties, but living close to the river brings particular damp risks.
Gravels and a high water table
Much of the land along this stretch of the Thames is river gravel. Gravel drains freely, but close to the river the water table can be high and rises after prolonged rain and when the river is full. Cellars, lower ground floors and solid floors laid directly on the ground feel this first.
What we see in riverside homes
- Damp cellars and vaults, sometimes with water seeping in after wet spells
- Rising damp in Victorian and Edwardian terraces where the original damp proof course has failed
- Salts and blown plaster in lower walls after past flooding
- Timber decay in suspended floors where sub-floor ventilation is poor
Flood history and hidden moisture
Parts of the riverside are in the Thames flood plain. Even where a property hasn’t flooded recently, walls that were once soaked can hold salts that keep attracting moisture years later. If you are buying near the river, a specialist damp and timber survey is a sensible precaution.
The right treatment
Below-ground rooms near the river usually need a designed waterproofing system, such as a cavity drain membrane with drainage and a pump, rather than a simple damp proof course. Above ground, a new damp proof course and salt-resistant replastering deal with rising damp, while external defects are repaired to stop penetrating damp.
We have been based in Thames Ditton, on the river, since 1971. See our local pages for damp proofing in Surrey, damp proofing in Middlesex and basement waterproofing in London.
