Client: Construction company
Our client, a construction company, contracted Timberwise to survey a vacant magistrates’ court building in Kidderminster ahead of its planned conversion into a creative hub, and provide timber repairs for fixtures affected by fungal decay. This property was a commercial building of solid brick construction, and was both unoccupied and unfurnished at the time of our inspection. The weather conditions were overcast but dry.
Observations
Our surveyor conducted a brief external examination from ground level. During this assessment, our surveyor identified several areas of damp ingress related to the roof of the property. Damp profiles on the external walls indicated that the rainwater goods had been leaking for some time. Due to the time spent vacant, it was believed that the roof structure had also developed some defects relating to the internal condition of the property. However, this could not be confirmed from outside the property due to its size.
Moving internally, our surveyor identified widespread fungal decay throughout the property. From the basement level to the roof, several areas of both dry rot and wet rot were identified in the building’s wooden fixtures.
In the basement level, extensive dry rot and wet rot outbreaks were identified to the bearing ends of the floor joists. Fungal decay can develop for several reasons, but is often related to an influx of moisture within the property, usually due to a leak or defect causing penetrating damp into the floor timbers. In this case, our surveyor believed that prolonged moisture ingress had allowed fungal rot to grow and develop, spreading over the masonry of the rear elevation to access timber on every floor.
In the upper floors, several areas of cuboidal cracking were identified in the mouldings. This is a likely sign of wet rot decay, where it was believed rainwater ingress had caused the wood to weaken and crumble away over this period of vacancy.
On the roof level, the full extent of the defect was evident. Several defects in the roof had allowed moisture into the building, creating the perfect breeding ground for fungal decay. Several areas of fungal decay were evident in the roof trusses, joists, ceiling laths, and other structural elements within the roof. In several areas, the joists had suffered advanced decay and were no longer structurally sound. Ongoing water ingress from the exposed roof and defective rainwater goods further increased the risk of continued fungal activity if not urgently addressed.
Solutions
Our surveyor believed that the situation within the property required a coordinated and large-scale repair solution to ensure complete eradication of the fungal decay. Working alongside our client and our team of specialist technicians, our surveyor designed a treatment plan that would eradicate the rot outbreaks during the wider refurbishment work, and prevent recurrence once the property renovations were completed.
As an initial measure, our team consulted with the client to advise on repairs to the roof. As this was the main source of moisture within the property, it was integral to repair the roof prior to our attendance to ensure the success of our work. Our team coordinated with other trades on-site to ensure the building was made fully watertight prior to treatment. Our surveyor also recommended the addition of exclusion zones to be used during treatment to ensure the safety of everyone working on the site.
As the spread of dry rot was so prevalent within the property, it was important to assess the true extent of the outbreak. Our technicians began by removing the wall finishes to expose masonry and additional timber fixtures. As dry rot is especially hardy and can spread over masonry and plaster, it’s important to conduct these opening works to ensure the entire spread of an outbreak is caught and remedied.
In all the opened-up areas, as well as the previously identified areas of rot outbreak, any repairable timbers were treated with a fungicidal gel. This would remove any fungal material from the surface of the wood, and prevent future fungal decay by eliminating it at the source.
In the basement space, several of the severely decayed floorboards were beyond repair and subsequently removed. These were then replaced with new treated timbers, which were capped with a damp proof membrane when in contact with the masonry. This would ensure that moisture from the exterior wall wouldn’t have an easy path to decay the new joists once work was completed.
Finally, in the areas where rot was not as prevalent, such as in the roof trusses, our team retained much of the existing materials. To provide additional support, our technicians used a combination of splicing techniques and timber resin to repair the trusses and the surrounding decorative wood mouldings. These timbers were then hand finished to match the mouldings and detailing of the original timbers.
Results
Our client was delighted with the structured solution provided by our surveyor and technicians in the face of a severe outbreak of fungal decay. They were impressed with our team’s ability to coordinate with several trades already on site, as well as providing solutions that retained as much of the original fixtures within the building as possible. Our client believed that Timberwise delivered a robust, long-term repair approach suitable for a major refurbishment project.
Do You Want Help with a 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.
