Moisture from Construction – Drying out your property

Drying out occurs during the first few months after your property has been occupied. Materials used in the building, such as timber, concrete, bricks and plaster, will have absorbed water and moisture during the construction period.

As these materials dry out, hairline cracks may appear on the walls, ceiling and joinery. It is unlikely these cracks are structurally significant and normally they can be put right with ordinary filler and paint during your routine decoration. The cracks caused by drying out can be reduced if the materials are allowed to dry out in a controlled manner. The following steps will help you to reduce occurrences of cracking:

• Try to keep a reasonably even temperature by using heating sparingly to allow your house to warm up gradually
• Encourage ventilation by leaving the windows, internal doors and cupboards open a few inches whenever you reasonably can. Open trickle vents on doors and windows where provided to reduce risk of condensation and increase ventilation
• Keep kitchen and bathroom doors closed when cooking or washing, as these activities create a lot of water vapour, which should not be allowed to spread to other rooms in your home

Following these guidelines will reduce the effects of the evaporation process, but the following items may still be seen in the home:

• Small cracks in walls or ceilings
• Bath or shower trays dropping
• Screw heads showing in plastered surfaces
• Windows or doors needing adjustment
• Gaps between skirting boards and walls
• Gaps around mastic joints (i.e. window and door frames, splashbacks, tiles)

These are not classed as defects under your warranty and TWCL is not obliged to repair them. These effects should stop being noticed after 18 months once your home has fully dried out. After this time, you can make good any cracks or gaps during the process of redecoration.

Moisture from Occupation – Condensation

Day-to-day activities can produce water vapour which can cause condensation in and around your home. Condensation is steam or water vapour, which turns to water once it comes into contact with cold surfaces. At times this can cause mould on your walls or ceilings, especially in non-ventilated cupboards and wardrobes. If your home is continually occupied and kept at an even temperature, it is less likely for condensation to occur. The recommended temperature of your home is 18°C.

Your apartment is fitted with a Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery System (MVHR) which supplies and extracts air from your home. This will assist with the mitigation of condensation. 

Help reduce condensation

Produce less moisture:

• Cover pans when cooking to reduce steam
• Do not let steam and heat from small electrical appliances like microwaves, coffee machines and kettles penetrate directly into your kitchen furniture. Always switch on the extractor fan when cooking.

Ventilate moisture away:

• The MVHR is designed to remove moisture and is designed to run continuously and is not to be turned off. It should be maintained annually with the filters cleaned regularly
• Use the cooker hood and/or extractor fans and keep the doors closed when cooking, washing, bathing and drying clothes indoors. Open windows whenever this is practical
• Close the living room and bathroom doors when these rooms are in use. This stops the moisture reaching other rooms, especially the bedrooms that are often colder and more likely to suffer from condensation
• Simply opening and closing the doors to circulate the air can ventilate the cupboards and wardrobes. Avoid putting too many things in them as this can stop the air circulation
• Leave a space between the back of the wardrobes and wall and, if possible, avoid putting wardrobes and large pieces of furniture against any external walls
• Open trickle vents on doors/windows where provided to reduce risk of condensation and increase ventilation

Provide even heating

Homes where the heating is off all day because the occupants are out are more likely to suffer condensation problems than those heated more continuously. This is because when normal activities such as washing and cooking are carried out in the evening, the home has been unheated for long periods and so surfaces are cold.

Make sure the central heating timer is set so that your home is warm by the time you return. During very cold weather, it is better to leave the heating on during the day to maintain an even temperature. The temperature can be set a few degrees lower and turned up when you return.

Alterations

Before undertaking any alterations, you must check with your local council whether planning permission is required. Approval from TWCL will also be needed if it is within the first five years after legal completion. Building Regulations approval may also be required.

Any alterations that affect the external appearance of your property may also be restricted by the Covenants contained within your Title Deeds. These Restrictive Covenants should have been discussed with you by your solicitor/conveyancer prior to signing your Purchase Contract.

The Covenants are for the benefit of all residents and are designed to protect both the aesthetic look of the development and the value of the properties. If you require advice about the Restrictive Covenants and how they affect the use of your home, please contact your solicitor/conveyancer or local council.

Do not alter or remove fire detection equipment or fire protection items such as sprinklers, alarms, detectors, front entry door and door seals. These play an important part in the protection of all occupants.

Floating floors

Your floors are laid over a foam underlay and insulation with underfloor heating and finished with a timber floating floor. These floors are designed to give slightly as you walk across them. This is quite normal and in no way constitutes a construction fault.

Home improvements

The internal walls in your home are made of plasterboard which is strong enough to take the weight of most picture and other light objects using proprietary picture hooks and masonry nails. When hanging pictures or attaching other wall fixings, care must be taken not to disturb any pipes or electric cabling that may lie beneath the surface of the wall and ceiling throughout your home. It is recommended that a cable detector is used, which can be bought from most DIY stores.

Should you wish to hang your TV on the wall, the wall pattressing locations are as follows: 

Lounge – one wall in living area at TV point- 1200mm wide band- starting approximately 800mm above finished floor

Bedroom/s – one wall in the bedroom opposite the bed – 1200mm wide band- starting approximately 800mm above finished floor 

Please note there is no pattressing for ceiling lighting pendants within the apartments.