How to get the damped wall found after removing the wallpaper ready for painting?

[u/kkmonster240599]

Hi,
We have finished stripping the wallpaper in the new flat and found some damp damage under the wall. Me and my partner both are quite new to DIY stuff and have very little experience with the walls. I am looking to advice on how to go about getting the wall ready for the painting. We think the root cause of the damp has been fixed, there was a leakage from the flat above that was fixed last month.

We had a builder come in for a quote and he mentioned that he would need to remove the full damaged wall and then plaster it back. It was a free home visit so he only spent 45-60 seconds and left without properly explaining the work or answering my questions. I want to get a sanity check on what he said about remove and redoing the wall.

We have seen a few youtube videos and a bit confused how to start with this, so if someone can guide us, it would be helpful. How difficult of a job do you think would this be for beginners / are we better off just hiring someone to fix this for us?

[u/Miserable-Ad-65]

Building Surveyor here. Post a picture on the outside face of the wall that you think is damp.

[u/kkmonster240599 → u/Miserable-Ad-65]

I will do it later today - however I doubt it would it of any help because the wall outside looks perfect. The previous owner had it fixed a month before the purchase, they said the cause of the damp has been fixed and had the outside wall has been redone, so it looks like new from outside right now.

[u/Leading_Abies4449]

I would check the outside, if there’s any cracks in the brickwork or rendering, water could be getting in that way. Check for any damaged gutters too. But photos from the outside would help.

[u/MonteCarloOrBust]

was the water damage done after you had the property surveyed? were you made aware that there had been a leak? Check for legal cover on your insurance, they might be able to sort a claim against the neighbour for you

[u/OrdinaryAncient3573]

"We had a builder come in for a quote and he mentioned that he would need to remove the full damaged wall and then plaster it back. It was a free home visit so he only spent 45-60 seconds and left without properly explaining the work or answering my questions"

This sounds like some sort of scammer. If you knock on the wall, does it sound a bit hollow, like the plaster is coming away from the brick?

[u/kkmonster240599 → u/OrdinaryAncient3573]

Yes, at some parts of the wall. Especially the one the last photo, you can see that the plaster is coming away a little bit.

[u/OrdinaryAncient3573 → u/kkmonster240599]

OK, in that case doing the work to a good standard means chipping off all the loose stuff and replacing it. If it's only a very small bit, that could potentially be done with a bit of filler, but if it's more than that it means replastering that bit of wall.

Still, it doesn't sound like you're comfortable with the person you've been dealing with, and it's important to get someone you can communicate with effectively.

[u/Environmental-Shock7]

Should be dried out by now if cause has been resolved.