Cost of treating salt damp

[RumpledElf]

Has anyone ever had salt damp treated? I've never even looked into it (always figured it would be far too expensive) and it is awkward to get quotes when I'm probably going to need someone from 200km away come up here sometime next year to quote.

Anyone have even the foggiest what it will cost to get a small stone house treated for salt damp?

 

[Rolf Latham]

3 or 4 rice grains in the shaker should do it.

Sorry, could not help myself.


ta
rolf

 

[RumpledElf]

*sigh* was just wondering if it is a sub $1000 job ... or a $5,000 one ... or a $10,000 one, or a $20,000 one. I don't know how much of an indication I'll get just ringing a salt damp person and asking over the phone, if they're anything like termite people they'll refuse point blank to give even an estimation without queuing me up and coming out months later. Tradies take forever to come out. I've already been waiting a month for a LOCAL plumber to come connect the water and whatever he says the job will cost, I pay. No comparative quotes, no taking the cheapest plumber.

If the salt damp treatment is expensive it is SO not worth the extra $1 or so I'll get in rent, but it's looking like the salt damp and the boundary fences will be the only two things left on my rent control order, and fencing isn't exactly a DIY cheapie you can skimp on either. I can still rent it out without the salt damp treated but I can't rent it out without cold water ... plumbers

 

[RumpledElf]

Nevermind.

A DIY site was selling the stuff you need for $10 a litre and recommending 7-10 litres per metre of wall plus equipment hire + time + repatching the walls afterwards, which for an entire house is prohibitively expensive just to get a HIA order lifted and a miniscule rise in rent. Add labour and its probably a $20,000 job for the whole house (around 30% of purchase price) since I can't DIY. SO not worth it. Is this why noone here has ever had a house treated?

Having now researched salt damp there's <2m of wall affected, the rest is just runoff damp without salt. I think I can live with a HIA order, and repainting that little bit of wall every few years. Surprising how little damage there was after ~15 years without any treatment, I've seen far worse on other houses.

This little tidbit is now in the column FOR keeping that house. HIA order will reduce the selling price but with only salt damp and boundary fences on it I can't see it reducing the rent too much.