A house has more places where damp builds up unnoticed — the basement, the attic, the foundation zone and timber structures.
Unlike a flat, a house has several zones nobody visits day to day — and that is exactly where problems develop unnoticed.
| Zone | Typical problem |
|---|---|
| Basement | Capillary moisture, incorrect airing |
| Attic | Condensation on the roof structure, insufficient ventilation |
| Foundation zone | Moisture from the ground |
| Bathrooms | Inadequate extraction |
| Plant rooms | Leaks that go unnoticed for a long time |
| Garage, utility room | Damp and poor air exchange |
A practical pointer: if the house has a stale smell but the living rooms look fine, it usually starts in the basement or the attic.
A house also has one advantage a flat does not: it is all yours, with nothing to agree with neighbours or a property manager. That means the work can be planned calmly — pick a weekend when the family is away, say, and treat several zones in one visit instead of one at a time.
Damp problems in a house are rarely isolated — if there is mould in one zone, inspect the basement and the attic as well.
Timber is porous and absorbs moisture, so it has its own particulars. Surface treatment deals with the top layer; if the fungus has gone deeper, you need a treatment that soaks into the material, or the affected parts replaced.
An important distinction: we work with mould fungus on timber. Wood-destroying organisms that eat into the material are a different field and a different service.
In practice you can tell them apart by what has happened to the material itself. Mould is a thin layer on the surface: you can scrape it off, and the wood underneath is sound. If the timber has become brittle, crumbles under a finger or has lost its dimension, it is no longer a surface question, and it will need a building specialist's assessment rather than treatment.
Most damp questions in a house can be narrowed down with no equipment at all. It saves time during the inspection and sometimes shows the problem is a simple one.
A concrete example from a typical house outside Riga: a stale smell on the first floor but not on the ground floor. The first thing we look at is not the walls but the attic hatch and the service penetrations through the floor. If they do not seal, the source is almost always above, and treating the first-floor rooms alone will not give a lasting result.
We inspect the basement, attic and plant rooms too — not just the living space.
We measure in several places to find where the moisture is coming from.
Living rooms and the basement often call for different methods.
We move plants and animals out, cover electronics and pull furniture away from walls.
We treat, starting with the worst-affected zone.
We set out what needs addressing in the ventilation or the structure.
In terms of time, a house differs from a flat in having more zones, each with its own contact time. The basement, the attic and the living space are rarely treated with the same technique in a single pass: in the basement we usually work broadly and by fogging, in the living rooms more selectively across surfaces. So plan for a longer working day in a house than in a flat, and for the family being away longer.
Seasonally, house work is best planned for spring or early autumn. In winter condensation is easier to see in the attic but harder to work in and to air out; in summer rooms dry faster, but basement condensation is at its worst in exactly that warm, humid weather. If a damp problem recurs in the same month every year, that in itself is information — it points to condensation rather than a leak.
In a house we almost always combine two things: surface treatment where mould is visible, and room treatment where the smell has soaked into textiles and soft furnishings. For the latter we usually use ozone treatment, because a cloth does not reach the filling of a mattress.
Before coming out we ask about practicalities: whether every zone has power, whether the basement and attic have proper access, whether there are animals and plants in the house that must be moved during treatment, and whether anyone in the family will stay at home. An aquarium is a separate case — it is covered and the pump switched off. These are better settled beforehand than discovered on site.
Another situation typical of houses is long disuse. If the house has stood unheated over the winter, or the owners have been away a long time, the air has not changed, the traps have dried out and damp has soaked into the textiles. The first step is then not treatment but several days of airing and warming the building through. If the smell remains after that and mould is visible, treatment is justified; if not, it is not needed.
We do not do roof repairs, damp-proofing, insulation, ventilation installation or structural replacement. We do not assess the condition of load-bearing structures — that is a structural engineer's job. We do not work with wood-destroying organisms. If an inspection shows the cause is in the structure, we write it down and say so, even when it reduces the scope of our own work.
House disinfection from €95. Larger areas are priced by the square metre: up to 100 m² — €1.20/m², 100–300 m² — €0.90/m². Ozone treatment €1.20/m². All prices →
It depends on the situation. If the problem is local, one zone is enough. If there is a smell throughout the house or damp in several places, we recommend treating more widely.
Yes. Summer houses typically have the problem of long disuse: dried-out traps, stale air and mould in places nobody saw over the winter.
Yes, we work with mould fungus on timber. Wood-destroying organisms are a different field.
Describe the situation — we will tell you whether treatment is needed at all, and which one.
Fill in the form — we will call you on the number you provide, ask a few clarifying questions and propose a solution.
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