Moisture and salt air: diagnosing damp issues near the coast – to protect your budget
Before you start, align documents, scope and priorities. That alone prevents most late changes and cost overruns. In Sicily, coastal exposure and mixed building stock make early checks even more important.
Where to start
Collect the key documents (permits, drawings, cadastre) and check consistency between existing condition and authorised state.
Define priorities and constraints: what is mandatory, what is desirable and what can wait.
- How to keep changes under control
- Questions to ask contractors
- Constraints to check early
Schedule and cost control
Build a realistic programme and the right sequence of trades.
Set up a bill of quantities and specifications that describe works, materials and tolerances in measurable terms.
- How to keep changes under control
- Questions to ask contractors
- Documents you should have
Permits and documentation
Check constraints and approvals (heritage, landscape, condominium) before appointing contractors.
Prepare a complete technical report to reduce requests for clarifications and delays.
- How to document decisions
- Constraints to check early
- Questions to ask contractors
Technical details that matter
Focus on critical junctions (waterproofing, thermal bridges, services) because most post-handover issues start there.
Verify material compatibility with substrates, especially near the coast where salt air accelerates decay.
- Constraints to check early
- How to keep changes under control
- Questions to ask contractors
- You need a quick technical check before buying or signing.
- You must confirm the right permit path and missing documents.
- You want measurable specs to compare quotes properly.
- You started works and need to regain control of scope and changes.
- Starting without a measured survey and without verifying the authorised state.
- Accepting vague quotations (generic items, undefined materials).
- Discovering constraints or approvals after works begin.
- Managing changes informally, without updated quantities and records.
If you want a clear starting point for a project in Sicily,Studio 4ecan review your context and outline the right technical steps.
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