HUMIX · Churches & chapels

Damp in your church? Treated with respect for its history.

Damp walls, flaking limewash and salts around memorials are some of the most common problems in churches and chapels. Many usual fixes, chemical injection, cement render and gypsum plaster, can harm historic fabric. HUMIX starts with a careful survey and treats rising damp without cutting into the walls.

  • A careful survey before any proposal
  • No wall cutting, no chemical injection, no stripping of limewash or plaster
  • A written report for your PCC, inspecting architect or DAC
  • Parish churches, chapels, cathedrals and church halls
Request a heritage survey How we work

Request a church damp survey

Tell us about the building and what you've noticed. A specialist calls you back, usually within one working day.

Your details are only used to arrange the survey · Privacy notice

0 Cuts into the historic fabric
0 Chemical injection along the wall
1 Survey before any proposal
4 Nations of the UK covered
A HUMIX specialist surveying damp in an old solid wall Every survey starts by reading the wall, not the stain
Damp in places of worship

Large, cold, rarely heated: why churches suffer from damp

Churches have thick solid walls, stone floors laid straight onto the ground and long periods without heating. Raised churchyard levels, blocked drains and gutters, and decades of cement repairs all add to it. The result is damp at the base of the walls, salts, flaking limewash and damage around memorials, monuments and wall paintings.

  • We read the whole building: ground levels, drainage, rainwater goods, heating and past repairs.
  • We tell causes apart: rising damp, condensation and water getting in each need a different answer.
  • We protect what matters: memorials, wall paintings and historic finishes are never stripped or drilled.
Conservation principles

Four principles we follow in every church

They follow the conservation approach that guides work on historic places of worship: understand first, change as little as possible and use methods that suit the original fabric.

I

Let the wall breathe

Historic walls in stone, brick and lime manage moisture by letting it evaporate. We never seal them in with cement render, tanking or impermeable paints.

II

Minimum intervention

No cutting into the masonry, no chemical injection along the wall and no stripping of original finishes. We change as little of the building as possible.

III

Reversible where possible

The HUMIX system is installed without altering the historic fabric, so the building is left as it was found if it is ever removed.

IV

Diagnosis first, recorded

Every proposal starts with a survey and a written record of what we found, which you can share with your architect, surveyor or conservation officer.

How we work

A process that fits the way churches are cared for

From the first call to a dry wall, each step is designed around the rules that protect the building.

  1. 01

    A first conversation about the building

    We ask about its age, construction, listing grade or conservation area, past repairs and where the damp shows. That tells us what to look for before we visit.

  2. 02

    A careful survey on site

    A specialist reads the signs: moisture readings, salt patterns, ground levels, drainage, rainwater goods and earlier repairs in cement or gypsum. The aim is to separate rising damp from condensation and water getting in.

  3. 03

    A written report you can share

    You receive our findings and a proposal in plain language. If the building is listed, it's ready to discuss with the local planning authority or your conservation adviser before any work goes ahead.

  4. 04

    Discreet installation and follow-up

    Where the HUMIX system is right for the building, it's installed in a few hours without disruptive building work, and we follow how the walls dry out over the following months.

Faculty and permissions. Many places of worship are covered by the ecclesiastical exemption: in the Church of England, work to a church building usually needs faculty permission or approval under List A or B, with advice from the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC); other denominations have their own procedures, and buildings outside the exemption may need listed building consent. We go through what applies to your church before recommending any work, and our written report is ready to share with your PCC, inspecting architect or DAC.

The HUMIX system against rising damp

HUMIX system

Rising damp

Recommended when the survey confirms rising damp. It works without cutting into the wall, without injecting chemicals along it and without stripping existing finishes.

  • Installed in a few hours
  • No building work inside the property
  • Suitable for stone, brick and lime walls
What we avoid

Treatments that can harm an old building

Many damp "cures" were designed for modern cavity walls. On historic fabric they can trap moisture, push salts higher and damage what makes the building special.

  • Chemical damp-proof course injection drilled along the wall
  • Cement render, tanking slurries and waterproof membranes
  • Hacking off lime plaster and replastering in gypsum
  • Impermeable paints that stop the wall drying out
Who we help

For everyone who cares for a church or chapel

PCCs and churchwardens

Parochial church councils and churchwardens who need a clear diagnosis and a proposal they can take to the DAC.

Inspecting architects

Architects and surveyors carrying out quinquennial inspections who want a non-invasive option for rising damp.

Other denominations

Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed and independent churches and chapels across the UK.

Church halls and trusts

Church halls, friends' groups and trusts looking after redundant or historic churches.

Common questions

Questions about damp in churches

Do we need a faculty to treat damp in our church?

In the Church of England, most work to a church building needs faculty permission or approval under the List A and B procedures, with advice from the Diocesan Advisory Committee. Other denominations have their own systems. Our written survey sets out what we found and what we propose, so the PCC can follow the right route.

Why does our church get so damp?

Thick solid walls, stone floors laid on the ground, raised churchyard levels, blocked drains and long periods without heating all contribute. Cement repairs and modern paints that stop the walls drying make it worse. A survey tells which of these is really behind the damp.

Will the treatment damage memorials or wall paintings?

No. The HUMIX system works without cutting into the walls, without injecting chemicals and without stripping plaster or limewash. Fragile surfaces stay as they are.

Is it always rising damp?

No. In churches condensation and rainwater getting in through roofs, gutters and drains are very common. We only recommend the HUMIX system when the survey confirms rising damp, and we'll tell you if the cause is something else.

Can you work with our inspecting architect?

Yes. We're used to sharing our findings with inspecting architects, surveyors and DACs, and can tie our report in with your quinquennial inspection.

Which areas do you cover?

We work across the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Is the first survey free?

Yes. The first survey is free and with no obligation.

Heritage survey

Care for the church, and solve the damp

Tell us about the church and what you've noticed. A specialist will call you back to arrange a survey and explain the options before anything is decided.

Request a survey Email [email protected]
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