Dry rot - help!

sash8

I've been reading various posts and found them interesting so thought I'd ask a few questions and see if I can get any advice as everyone seems very friendly!
I bought a 1930s mid-terrace house in 2004 and dry rot wasn't found in the survey (I know, i know - I didn't have the full one. I have learnt from that mistake!)
SInce then, I have had the same company out 4 times to treat different outbreaks of dry rot. 2 of these times were under guarantee but this third, latest one is not. My fear is that this company is going to keep coming out, treatign the dry rot (by removing skirting boards/plaster, drilling in holes and filling with fungicidal biocide), sterilizing masonry and replacing with treated timber. The dry rot will just disappear for another few months and then reappear somewhere else and just keep moving around my house!
From my (limited!) understanding, dry rot needs some source of damp which has to be eradicated if the dry rot is truly going to go?
I have concrete floors and wondered if there might be a gap under them that could somehow have moisture getting in? If so, surely the company should be examining that option first?
It's really beginning to wear me down as I can't keep affording to 'patch up' this problem!

mp80

Apologies for bringing up an old thread

I have just had my bathroom completely demolished (for a new one to be fitted) and during the demolition process the fitters found there was dry rot in the floorboards behind the bath. This is most likely due to moisture from the bathroom, overspill etc going through the floor and due to insufficient ventilation the timbers have been damp. Fortunately the entire room is completely gutted (you can see the roof as there's no ceiling and down to the room underneath as there's no boards so it will be easy to identify and fix the problem - in my case it unfortunately has destroyed the timber below the bathroom as well so I've had that gutted back to the brick and I have a surveyor coming tomorrow to idenfity the amount of spread, wish me luck!)

The only solution is to remove the source of dampness and remove and replace all the timbers affected. If the wood is getting damp, you are treating the symptoms alone. Dry rot can not possibly exist if the water supply is eliminated.

My advice (from bitter experience) :

1. Get another company to look at the rot. The best people are probably surveyors as they have no vested interest in selling products or services.

2. Make sure that every possible source of dampness is eliminated and that all the rotten timbers are replaced.

3. Get air bricks put in around the roof rafters and where any suspended floors exist

4. Don't be tempted by cavity wall insulation if you have an early property (around 1925-1930) as the cavities are not designed to take it and dampness can be promoted, no matter what claptrap you hear from the TV ads about saving £180 a year - no good saving that if you have to waste 5-10 times as much fixing rot outbreaks.

5. A drafty roof void is a good thing. Beware of those who advise filling up the roof with insulation.

6. Make sure your heating is of sufficient quality and that rooms are not allowed to remain humid from condensation, etc - make sure extractor fans are operating when cooking and in the bathroom after showers/baths. Keep a window open or have a trickle vent put in.

I hope you can get the problem (or have already gotten it) sorted. I will repost tomorrow the results of my survey.

mp80

In the end it was discovered that the rot had eminated from the ground floor due to a water leaking behind there from the bathroom above (must have been for years)

Had to strip back the small room directly under the bathroom back to the brick, get rid of the wood completely, install 2 new concrete lintels to replace the rotten ones in that room and the bathroom (as it spread up due to high bathroom humidity)

Also I had to have 3 upper floor joists replaced as the ends were rotten, and chemically treat the masonry!

I used a company called Timberwise - who did the work but weren't particularly careful; they put a hole in my ceiling and ruined my floor in the kitchen by dragging a concrete lintel across it. I am currently asking for money off the final bill (£1,150) to get these problems sorted.

I am absolutely sick to the back teeth of problems with this house as they are usually major, and expensive!

littlesnuggy

mp80 wrote: »

In the end it was discovered that the rot had eminated from the ground floor due to a water leaking behind there from the bathroom above (must have been for years)

Had to strip back the small room directly under the bathroom back to the brick, get rid of the wood completely, install 2 new concrete lintels to replace the rotten ones in that room and the bathroom (as it spread up due to high bathroom humidity)

Also I had to have 3 upper floor joists replaced as the ends were rotten, and chemically treat the masonry!

I used a company called Timberwise - who did the work but weren't particularly careful; they put a hole in my ceiling and ruined my floor in the kitchen by dragging a concrete lintel across it. I am currently asking for money off the final bill (£1,150) to get these problems sorted.

I am absolutely sick to the back teeth of problems with this house as they are usually major, and expensive!

Hope you get it sorted, and get the money off the bill - that's awful the amount of damage they caused! I happen to work for one of this firm's competitors and have to say your post made me smile, but obviously for you it's dreadful and I'm really sorry that you've been messed around by careless tradesmen.

mp80

Yes, they were careless. This was not the only issue!

1. They managed to spill a bucketload of the chemical fungicide down my new plaster wall.

2. They left loose the course of bricks above the new lintel in the bathroom (!) My bathroom installers had to mortar them in.

3. They left an absolute mess in the kitchen (dust everywhere) because nothing was covered over prior to starting.

I have got their 'surveyor' to come back on Wednesday to assess the damage.

Unfortunately, my normal route of due-diligence when selecting contractors was not followed as I had to get the job done ASAP as we had no bathroom. I did ask Rentokil to come out prior to engaging Timberwise but they let me down; I took an afternoon off to meet their surveyor at 1pm - at 12:50pm he rang up and said he was still on a job 60 miles away and would not be attending, but if I wanted to rebook an appointment for a week and a half later it would be fine.

Needless to say I was furious and told them to shove it!

mp80

Update to this, it's still going on after a month of complaints.
They refuse to get back to me despite several phone calls and emails and have sent through a bill with interest!
I have written them a nasty letter with photos of the damage, so hopefully this will be enough to get them to see sense.

dampdaveski

Hi MP80,
Oh Dear!
I also have knowledge of said firm
every company can have a job that goes pear shaped, HOWEVER it is how the complaint is handled that is important, based on your information in this thread this clearly this has not handled well for you at all!
This national company are members of the Property Care Association (Google property care association), the trade body for the preservation industry.
Have a look at this site it contains a LOT of interesting information, particularly under the contact us section and its associated pages;)

The PCA also administer the Trustmark scheme for this industry on behalf of Gordon Brown.
My advice to you is to keep letters concise and to the point, don't over exaggerate anything as it gives ammunition to the accused. Ask for the regional manager to handle your complaint if you get no joy from your local office.
Keep a record of all correspondance and a log of phone calls, who and when you spoke to them, with notes of your conversation.
(I'm probably telling you how to suck eggs so to speak so apologies if i'm insulting your intelligence)
It may pain you to do so, but offer some payment for the portion of works you do not have a complaint with, this will go in your favour if this dispute esculates to legal proceedings.

Hope you get it sorted

dampdaveski

sash8 wrote: »

I've been reading various posts and found them interesting so thought I'd ask a few questions and see if I can get any advice as everyone seems very friendly!
I bought a 1930s mid-terrace house in 2004 and dry rot wasn't found in the survey (I know, i know - I didn't have the full one. I have learnt from that mistake!)
SInce then, I have had the same company out 4 times to treat different outbreaks of dry rot. 2 of these times were under guarantee but this third, latest one is not. My fear is that this company is going to keep coming out, treatign the dry rot (by removing skirting boards/plaster, drilling in holes and filling with fungicidal biocide), sterilizing masonry and replacing with treated timber. The dry rot will just disappear for another few months and then reappear somewhere else and just keep moving around my house!
From my (limited!) understanding, dry rot needs some source of damp which has to be eradicated if the dry rot is truly going to go?
I have concrete floors and wondered if there might be a gap under them that could somehow have moisture getting in? If so, surely the company should be examining that option first?
It's really beginning to wear me down as I can't keep affording to 'patch up' this problem!

sorry Sash - didn't answer your thread, you might find some benefit from looking at dry rot sensors from a firm called fugenex (google them), No i don't work for them (though i have used their products occasionally).
check out the property care association (google them) their members are generally pretty good (excluding the above ). You could just ring them for advice
alternatively call a different company or a chartered surveyor in to give your house a thorough going over, be careful withchartered surveyors though, some wouldn't know dry rot if it bit them on the a##e
hope this is of some use

daveyjp

If loud music is giving you a headache what do you do?

Go and see someone who sells paracetomol who will tell you to keep taking tablets and sell them to you.

Turn the music off and see if the headache goes?

Damp companies are the paracetomol salesmen.

They rarely tell you why a property is damp and their advice will rarely be to remove the source of damp, increase ventilation to allow it to dry out then see what happens.

daveyjp

You actually need a specialist Building Surveyor who will also be chartered - Malcolm Hollis are a well respected company.

dampdaveski

daveyjp wrote: »

If loud music is giving you a headache what do you do?

Go and see someone who sells paracetomol who will tell you to keep taking tablets and sell them to you.

Turn the music off and see if the headache goes?

Damp companies are the paracetomol salesmen.

They rarely tell you why a property is damp and their advice will rarely be to remove the source of damp, increase ventilation to allow it to dry out then see what happens.

Your advice on how to treat dry rot is both dangerous and misleading. If you knew anything at all about the life cycle of dry rot you would keep your opinions to yourself!
Removing the source of damp and increasing ventilation is indeed one of the very first things that should be done with a dry rot outbreak, BUT ' then see what happens':mad:
I hope you have professional indemnity insurance! - decent preservation companies DO!
damproofing companies do generally have a bad rep, however your sweeping generalisation that all of them are crap is bigoted and ignorant.

Rant over,
:silenced:
hope you get it sorted sash