Client: Domestic
Our client, a homeowner in Cardiff, contacted Timberwise to conduct dry rot treatment on their property. This property was a mid-terraced house of solid brick construction, and the property was occupied and furnished at the time of the inspection. The weather conditions were overcast but dry.
Challenges
During our survey, access was restricted by fitted units, tiled walls, furniture, stored items, and fitted floor coverings. This can be problematic when diagnosing dry rot, as the fungus is especially hardy and can spread over masonry or plaster to find new timber to feed from.
This is a regular occurrence in many dry rot surveys, and our surveyors act upon their years of industry knowledge and experience to ensure a property is thoroughly assessed prior to beginning renovation works.
Often, it is necessary to carry out follow-up investigations prior to or on the first day of remedial work. This ensures that the entire spread of fungal decay is caught and remedied to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Observations
Our surveyor began with a brief external investigation, during which they found a lack of sub-floor ventilation to the internal timber floors at the rear of the property. Often, air bricks are installed within brickwork to provide a way for moist air to escape the sub-floor void. Without any ventilation, moisture from a leak or defect can permeate the floor timbers, providing the ideal environment for fungal decay to germinate.
It was also not possible to determine if a Damp Proof Course (DPC) was present at the property. A DPC is a moisture-resistant barrier built into walls to prevent Rising Damp. Without a DPC, moisture can rise through the capillaries in masonry, often appearing as visible tide marks or damp patches on the internal walls.
Internally, our surveyor identified active dry rot fungal decay (Serpula Lacrymans) within the ground floor hallway, dining room, and rear lounge. Our surveyor continued to find affected areas upstairs within the landing, bathroom, and middle bedroom. The cause of attack was believed to be a previous plumbing leak in the upstairs bathroom. This had allowed moisture into the walls and floorboards in the bathroom, as well as the adjoining and downstairs rooms. Combined with the lack of sub-floor ventilation on both levels of the property, this created the perfect breeding ground for the dry rot infestation to grow.
This attack was present in several timber fixtures within each of the affected rooms, including the door frames, skirting boards, and lintels. Many of these fixtures had visible cuboid cracking, an indicator of a long-standing rot infestation. This cracking occurs when Dry Rot Fungus feeds from timber, making it brittle and prone to structural failure. Prolonged exposure can cause timber to warp and snap under slight pressure.
Without conducting further opening-up works it would not be possible to determine exactly how far the Dry Rot Fungus had spread within the property.
Solutions
Our surveyor recommended a treatment plan that would eradicate the incumbent dry rot infestation and provide measures to control and reduce the likelihood of recurrence in future.
Dry Rot is ever-present in our environment. By leaving the damaged timbers in place, this would not only create a risk to life if they collapsed, but would also provide the ideal environment for the infestation to regrow. The ideal course of treatment for Dry Rot is the removal and replacement of any affected timbers.
Internally, our technicians carried out necessary opening-up work, lifting floorboards and chipping away plaster in the affected rooms to reveal the extent of the infestation. This activity revealed further infestations in some of the property’s windows and wall plates, which necessitated their removal and replacement.
Our technicians began a large-scale project of removing the infested plaster and timbers, followed by replacing these materials. Timber lintels were replaced with concrete ones above three windows, removing the rotten timbers and ensuring they had less sources to feed on if it found a way to grow again.
Our technicians applied the same approach to the floorboards, removing any affected joists and floorboards and replacing them with new pre-treated timbers. These would be isolated from the masonry with a damp-proof membrane, ensuring that moisture from the wall could not penetrate directly into the joists. Once fitted, the remaining floorboards were reinstated, with new floorboards to replace any that had been affected by the dry rot infestation directly.
Once cleared of plaster, the walls were treated with a Toxic Box (cordon sanitaire). This involves injecting fungicidal solution into the wall joints, protecting the treated area from future attack, or preventing a new infestation from spreading beyond the box itself if it germinates in future.
Once treated, the walls were then re-plastered with a salt-retardant specification. This is a moisture-resistant material that prevents salt build-up in plaster. These salts draw atmospheric moisture back into the plaster as it dried, causing it to crumble and fall away from the wall.
Externally, our technicians installed several air bricks and vents in the rear and side elevations of the property. This provided the necessary ventilation to both the ground and first-floor timber floors, allowing for any built-up moisture to escape periodically.
Results
Our client was satisfied with the work completed by Timberwise’s expert team of engineers and surveyors. They were pleased that the full extent of their problem was caught and remedied, rather than just treating the visible areas of infestation. They were relieved to have peace of mind that the risk of recurrence in future had been significantly reduced.
Do You Want Help With a Dry Rot Solution?
Our dedicated and experienced team in Cardiff are ready to talk to you about your options for property preservation. Don’t hesitate to call us on 02920 290 558, or you can request a survey online.
