Client: Domestic
Our client, a homeowner in Birmingham, contracted Timberwise to repair wet rot damage to the ground floor of their home. The property is a semi-detached house of solid brick construction, and was both occupied and furnished at the time of our inspection. The weather conditions were overcast but dry.
Challenges
Access was restricted in areas due to furniture, stored items, and fitted floor coverings. This is a regular challenge that our surveyors face, and they acted with the backing of Timbewise’s 55 years of combined industry knowledge to ensure the property was correctly diagnosed ahead of any potential treatment plan.
Observations
Our surveyor began with a brief external investigation from ground level. During this investigation, our surveyor identified areas of slipped tiles and slates on the roof. This impedes the regular function of the roof, and could allow for damp to penetrate the roof void.
Our surveyor also identified high outside ground levels at the rear of the property. This can cause lateral damp penetration, where ground moisture can bypass an installed damp proof course (DPC) and penetrate into the interior floor of the property. In this case a slate DPC was identified, but would not be able to function correctly due to the raised external floor.
Our surveyor also found inadequate sub-floor ventilation to the timber floors. This prevents any moisture within the sub-floor void from circulating out of the property, keeping it trapped. When combined with lateral damp penetration, this creates the ideal environment for wet rot to germinate and feed on timber.
Moving inside the property, our surveyor was able to conduct a partial inspection of the interior floor, despite being restricted by laminate flooring. Upon lifting one section of laminate floor, our surveyor identified a case of Cellar Fungus (Coniophora Puteana) within the floorboards.
Cellar Fungus is a type of wet rot, a fungal infestation that germinates when a source of moisture leaks into structural timbers over a prolonged period. This moisture can be the result of a long-standing external defect causing penetrating damp, or a short-term cause such as a recent plumbing leak. Wet Rot often remains constrained to the source of moisture, but it can cause irreparable structural damage to timber, such as warping or cracking, if left untreated. Our surveyor attributed the wet rot to the previously stated external ground levels and lack of sub-floor ventilation.
Our surveyor also diagnosed the area using an electronic conductivity meter. This device measures the current moisture levels within timber, giving a true indication of moisture content. These readings revealed high moisture saturation in the floor joists, with a considerable amount of moisture within the chipboard flooring installed on top of them. This would provide the ideal environment for wet rot to potentially spread further.
Solutions
Our surveyor worked in tandem with both our client and our team of technicians to create a treatment plan that would not only remedy the current wet rot damage, but also prevent future attacks if damp were again able to ingress.
Our technicians began by removing the existing laminate and chipboard flooring, as well as two thirds of the existing floor joists within the rear reception room. This revealed some significant puddles underneath the floor, confirming our surveyor’s suspicions on the cause of moisture ingress within the property.
In some cases, it is possible to treat and reinstate the current joists if the wet rot has not caused significant damage. This was conducted with four of the original joists which were the furthest away from the source of damp penetration.
However, a further ten new joists were installed, replacing the original timbers that were too damaged to remain. These joists were first treated with a fungicidal solution to prevent future fungal decay, and also capped where they met the wall to ensure damp could not easily pass from the ground or wall into the timbers in future.
As a final measure, our technicians also fitted a new air brick into the sub-floor void. This would allow air to circulate and remove damp from the sub-floor void, providing an additional measure against wet rot recurrence.
Though not treated by our expert team, our surveyor also recommended repairing the previously noted slipped tiles and slates on the exterior roof. Leaving these untreated would almost certainly create a similar situation in our client’s loft space where damp could ingress and create the ideal environment for mould or rot to germinate and damage the structural roof. Our surveyor also recommended reducing the outside ground levels around the property as a final method of prevention against future moisture ingress.
Results
Our client was delighted with the work of both our surveyor and technicians during the remedial work on their property. They were satisfied with Timberwise’s thorough approach, even going so far as recommending work in their non-specialist areas to ensure damp prevention was correctly diagnosed and treated, even if by another contractor. Timberwise expertly treated the wet rot fungal decay within the property, and provided the ideal solution for our client, guaranteed to last against future damp penetration for years to come.
Do You Want Help with a Dry Rot Solution?
Our dedicated and experienced team in Birmingham are ready to talk to you about your options for property preservation. Don’t hesitate to call us on 0121 412 9315, or you can request a survey online.
