massive Dry Rot plant under the house

gehngus_2

We recently bought a house (in June) and it is in need of updating.

The building society had a survey done and we got the report.

there was much in the report about updating etc. lack of underfloor ventilation due to blocked air bricks. and i was told "the kitch floor had had it) but nothing about dry rot.
as it happens, upon inspection, the kitchen floor had been replaced, boards and joists and its fine under and over. not a problem there?

I started my DIY project a month ago and noticed the skirting along the hall and back of the dining room looked rotten.

ok, maybe a damp patch once (i thought) but the wall is dry now so ill get on with other stuff.

last week I noticed a red growth in the corner. it wasn't there before. so i looked it up.

Dry rot, and it was flowering (thats the red) and thus sporing.

I bought some industrial dry rot killer, paper suit, breathing equipment.. ripped all the skirting off, removed the fungus, removed all the plaster and then started lifting the board (which are rotten at that end).

i put my digital camera under to take a piccie to see how far it had gone.

HOLY MOTHER OF SAUSAGES!, its massive. what i saw was the tip of a tendril.

there is a plant under the hallway that spans at least 3 square meters without ripping the bathroom/bedroom floors up I cant tell how far it goes.

it covers the floor and is growing along all the floor timbers.

I can post a picture if this helps.

i can of course start ripping it out. but should i do this or should i get onto my building society and ask why it wasn't spotted?

or would it be covered by standard house insurance considering i have only been here a few months and this has been growing for many years?

or should i just get on with it because id be wasting my time?

basmic

Although I can't help, I'd love to see any pictures of this beast. :eek:

gehngus_2

just for you.
I have put a page on my site so you can see the plant (or some of it) :

http://www.hasgot.com/house/work.htm

dander

If you mean you just had the building society valuation survey done, then I think you wouldn't have any comeback on the survey because they are just not designed to look at the building in detail - pretty much everything on those things has a "might be an idea to call an expert in..." caveat on.

Sadly, all I know about dry rot is that it can be a very big problem! Good luck.

EliteHeat

I don't know much about dry rot except it is caused by damp. From your photos it looks like the flooring is very easy to raise and I notice your incoming rising main features in most of the photos - I would look at this very carefully.

Other than that surely all you need to do is lift the flooring, install proper underfloor ventilation, fix the underlying damp problem, treat and remove the growth and you're all done - but maybe that is being a little optimistic.

basmic

gehngus wrote: »

just for you.
I have put a page on my site so you can see the plant (or some of it) :

http://www.hasgot.com/house/work.htm

I'm not lifting my floorboards up then. :eek::eek:

hewhoisnotintheknow

where are the water droplets on the pipes coming from

Cknocker

seriously on that one I would be tempted to get a decent treatment company in who will certificate and guarantee the work. Dry rot is a massive problem and if just a little tiny bit is left behind it will be backs within weeks.

robnye

it looks like washing machine froth..... haha

sorry not really funny,

you might need to get someone in the have a look.

although you dont want too, i would suggest pulling back the carpet at the far end (of where you think the stuff starts) and then lifting the floorboards.

if you then get someone in, they would want ot do that anyway

ormus

antifreeze is a good treatment for dry rot. copper compounds such as copper napthanate can also be used.
damp/water is the problem. find the source and then get rid of it.
the area must be very well ventilated to stop further attacks. without water the fungus cannot survive.

gehngus_2

hewhoisnotintheknow : water droplets are in fact.. poison drops or dry rot killer (just after spraying the room im taking the photos from).
EliteHeat : incoming mains looks fine. however i have just found that the immersion tank overflow disappears under the boards never to re-appear.
most of the airbricks are blocked (rendered over).
Ill rip the boards out & joists & burn them, put a few air bricks in & double check for leaks.
re-plumb the overflow & get ne joists in on a dpc.
than spray the lot with this industrial rot killer and mark my calander to look again in a year.