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Hi megandmog 01,I would gladly help if i lived near your location. First thing to do is buy a damp meter, (if not got one already to check the extent of damp in van.) if you intend to keep the van, and are not returning it as not fit for purpose, or item not as discribed in advert.How long have you had van. Did you buy from dealer, private buy, or off ebay, have you tried to contact seller to return van.

Depending on how bad a state van is in ,will depend on the quotes, do you know any other caravaners or DIYers,joiner mates, in your area, that could have a good look at van,to give you idea of work involved, you may be better at DIY than you think, especialy with all the info on Wizard's forum, and all the help you can get on here.

Hiya, we are doing a damp repair to our van.  My husband didnt have much diy skills niether and we  couldn't afford to have it repaired at our caravan shop like you - too much!  My husband has done a brilliant job replacing the polystyrene, ply and wallpaper.  Its quite easy if you keep updating on here and people give advice on what to do and what to buy at each stage of the repair.  He has nearly finished now and all in all we have spent under £100.  Good luck!

Clara

Hi megandmog 01 sounds like your in the same boat as me our Elddis minstral XL 1992 has some damp on the front lefthand & left corner. told cost to put right around £1,000 Im not sure what % of damp is acceptable been told 10 to 15% is the norm but I would have thought 0% should be what we look for or it needs repairs think we was told around we had 35% or so.since been told it just needs re-sealing & it will dry out this I'm not sure about? I'm now thinking of doing it myself but I Strongly beleive it will need opening up for it to dry out & we have no where to store it for this so can any one tell me can it be done without putting it inside to dry out & how can I do this? by the way we live in Clitheroe! it must be all this Lancashire rain we get.   

Hi Chamy 11 , welcome to UKcampsite , 10% to 15% is quite normal and nothing to worry about , all wood has moisture content .
35% is quite wet , imo it needs the wet wall board removing , fully drying out the area and any rotten spars replaced ( if spars look wet / dark they may dry out ) , use a fan heater to help with drying the area and don't leave unattended or place too close . I would have thought it's pretty unlikely that it will dry out by just doing a reseal .
You need to cover the caravan while doing repairs , what ever you use it has to stop water getting through to the area you are repairing .
Have a look at The Fixed it Club members websites Here to see just what can be repaired and how they did it . And do ask more questions if you need too , there's plenty of members who will advise you .

atb

Wizard

Hi Wizard9956 thanks for your info & you can be assured I will ask lots of questions as & when I need to! But The Fix it club Looks just the place for some sound advise. think I will get a caravan cover & just hope I can do all the work under this & from inside the van I just need to get some Fine days! thanks again. 

craig26 - can you let me know what dehumidifier you are using please?

Cheers

Hi Craig26 going to have to strip my van down as its quit damp in the top window corners very damp more wet! the ply, not sure about the spares yet as ive only had a little poke around. need to no where do I get all the materials to put the van right, as i want to get it all before I start. like ply what sealer is the best to use, where do I get the wall finish interia from.