Art gallery · St Albans
ISO-Therm internal wall insulation to an art gallery
- Agreed approach
- ISO-Therm internal wall insulation installed throughout the gallery, fitted from scaffold and finished ready for decoration.
Hampton is one of the newest parts of Peterborough, built from the 1990s onwards on former clay pits and brickworks land, and its damp problems are almost entirely different from those of an older town. Procure Group Ltd carries out damp investigations, mould and condensation assessments, timber inspections and below-ground damp assessments across Hampton Vale, Hampton Hargate, Hampton Centre, Hampton Water and the PE7 district. We measure humidity, surface temperatures and moisture content and explain exactly which mechanism is producing the problem.



What we investigate
Any one of these symptoms can have several different causes, and the right remedy depends entirely on which one it is. That is what a survey establishes.
Staining at low level or around a specific point on a wall or ceiling.
Black, green or grey growth on walls, ceilings, sealant, window reveals or behind furniture.
A persistent smell, often in a cupboard, wardrobe or unused room, sometimes before anything is visible.
Blistering, salting, crumbling plaster or wallpaper lifting away from the wall.
Water on glass and frames in the morning, and mould appearing on cold surfaces.
Damp appearing during or after rain, frequently linked to rainwater goods or pointing.
Low-level dampness that may be rising damp, or may be one of several other causes.
Soft or crumbling timber, fungal growth, exit holes or springy floors.
Plumbing, heating or drainage leaks that show up some distance from the source.
Rooms that feel humid, cold spots at reveals and lintels, and extract fans that do not clear steam.
Damp, salting or water ingress at or just below external ground level.
What we are asked for
Each of these is a different problem with a different remedy. Which one applies depends on what the readings and the building show.
An evidence-led investigation of what is making the wall wet, with readings and findings you can act on.
Where a damp-proof course has genuinely failed, the appropriate remedial specification for the wall in question.
Professional remediation of the contamination, and control of the moisture conditions behind it.
Humidity, ventilation and surface temperature measured before any equipment is recommended.
Damp at or just below external ground level investigated, with localised protection where remediation calls for it. We do not install basement or cellar waterproofing.
Services
Each service below links to the full national service page, where the investigation, the treatment options and the circumstances in which it is not appropriate are set out in detail.
Damp
A structured investigation to establish the likely cause of dampness before any remedial work is recommended.
Damp
Careful assessment of low-level dampness, which is frequently caused by something other than rising damp.
Damp
Investigation of moisture entering through walls, roofs, openings and rainwater goods.
Surveys
Mould & condensation
Assessment of moisture production, ventilation, heating and insulation to reduce surface condensation.
Mould & condensation
Treating the mould is only part of the solution. We investigate why it developed in the first place, then remediate the contamination and control the conditions that caused it.
Timber
Assessment and treatment of structural timbers affected by moisture, decay or insect attack.
Timber
Establishing whether insect activity is current before recommending any treatment.
Timber
Identifying and repairing timber decay caused by sustained high moisture content.
Timber
Careful investigation of suspected dry rot, which can extend beyond visibly damp timber.
Repairs & finishes
Replastering specifications appropriate to walls affected by dampness or salt contamination.
Repairs & finishes
Repairs to the external fabric that address the source of moisture entry.
Repairs & finishes
Drying, repair and reinstatement following leaks, escapes of water or flooding.
Repairs & finishes
Insulation of solid walls with careful attention to moisture risk and detailing.
Our work
Photographs from Procure Group projects. Work of this kind is carried out across the area, so none is presented as a property at a particular address unless the caption says so.



Local property context
Different construction types behave differently when they get wet, so the approach is matched to the building in front of us.
Modern housing is built to be airtight, and that changes where moisture goes. In Hampton the overwhelming majority of the mould we are asked to look at is condensation: warm humid air from cooking, showering and drying washing indoors meeting the coldest available surface, usually a window reveal, a lintel, an external corner or the wall behind a wardrobe in an unheated bedroom. Where the mechanical extract provision is undersized, switched off, poorly ducted or simply never used for long enough, humidity stays high for hours after the moisture is produced and mould becomes established within a season.
New and fairly new houses also release construction moisture for a considerable time after completion. Concrete, screed, plaster and masonry all dry over months rather than weeks, and in a well-sealed house that moisture has few routes out. First and second winters in a new property are therefore the most likely time for condensation and mould to appear, particularly in rooms that are not heated. Establishing whether a problem is construction moisture drying out, a fabric or extract defect that the developer should attend to, or the way the home is being used, is the whole purpose of the assessment.
Hampton is built on former brick-pit and clay land south of the city, with substantial engineered landscaping and a number of lakes. Ground conditions and drainage therefore vary a good deal across the area. Elsewhere the fabric questions we most often pursue are defective or missing cavity trays over openings, poorly finished cavity closers at reveals, plot drainage that falls back towards the building, and render or masonry defects on exposed elevations.
Because these houses are young, timber problems are uncommon but not unknown. Where a roof leak, a plumbing failure or a long-standing shower tray or waste leak has gone undetected, structural timbers and joist ends can be affected, and in an enclosed, unventilated space that stays damp, decay can develop surprisingly quickly. Our inspections record moisture content in accessible timbers, identify decay where it is present, and state clearly whether load-bearing elements are involved.
Our approach
The purpose of a survey is to identify the underlying cause of the moisture, not to justify a particular treatment.
Transparent pricing
A Damp Proofing Quote Assessment is £114 plus VAT. The fee can be deducted from the final invoice if eligible remedial works proceed, subject to the agreed terms. Other inspection types are priced according to their scope.
Inspection requirements vary between properties, so larger, more complex or commercial buildings are priced according to their scope. You will be told the fee before the visit is confirmed — there are no charges added afterwards.
Online tools
Answer a few simple questions, upload photographs and receive an initial summary of possible causes and the type of survey that may be appropriate.
Upload an existing damp report, building survey, RICS report or property inspection document for an initial AI-assisted summary and recommended next steps.
Send us the details and photographs of the problem and our team will price the work and put it in writing.
Regional project example
We do not have a published project in Hampton yet, so this example is from elsewhere in the area we cover. We will not present work as local when it is not.
Art gallery · St Albans
Verified customer reviews
These reviews are from customers elsewhere in the region rather than this town. We publish them as they were given.
Questions
Sometimes, and sometimes not, which is why it is worth measuring rather than arguing. A cold bridge at a reveal or lintel, a missing cavity closer, an extract fan ducted into the loft or an undersized fan are fabric and installation faults worth raising with the developer or under a warranty. Construction moisture in the first winters, or drying washing indoors with no extraction running, are occupancy and drying-out factors. The report distinguishes them with readings and photographs so you have evidence either way.
Common causes are a duct that is too long, kinked or uninsulated, a run that discharges into the loft rather than outside, a fan with insufficient capacity for the room, a blocked external grille, or a fan that switches off far too soon after use. Running an extract for fifteen to twenty minutes after a shower, with the door closed, makes a measurable difference. We check the installation and the airflow rather than assuming the fan is adequate because it makes a noise.
Brief, purposeful airing is far cheaper than repeated redecoration and it is not the same as leaving windows open all day. The aim is to remove moisture at the point it is produced: extract while cooking and showering, close internal doors to contain it, dry washing where it can be extracted rather than in a bedroom, and keep a steady background temperature so surfaces do not fall cold enough for condensation to form.
Yes. All of the Hampton neighbourhoods and the surrounding PE7 district are within our working area, along with the rest of Peterborough and the neighbouring counties.
If mould or damp is persistent, yes, because the value is in the diagnosis. In a modern property the assessment concentrates on humidity, surface temperatures, extract performance and any fabric defect, and it usually produces a short list of specific, practical measures. Where we find nothing structural to treat, we will say so plainly rather than recommending work.
Related reading
Written by our surveyors, on the questions we are asked most often.
Nearby
We also work in Orton, Yaxley, Stanground, Whittlesey and Bretton. For everywhere else we cover, see our Peterborough service area.
Written and last reviewed by the Procure Group survey team on .
Next step
Book an inspection, ask for a callback, or use one of the online tools first. Whichever suits you — there is no obligation either way.
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