wood rotten at the base of my walls

sparkie7203

Hi, am just starting a renovation project on a old timber framed cottage I have just bought. The survey said that damp was a problem and expected this from the start. However, I have just come back from ripping off the skirting boards of the downstairs rooms and found a horrid sight ! Behind the boards seems to be a thick beam of wood that has bricks above. The beam is completely rotten. I know that this will need replacing but how much of a job will this be. I cant believe that the house is still standing as it seems to be doing so on a pile of rotten timbers !!

leveller2911

Do you have any photos???? Generally speaking replacing rotten Oak plates can be time consuming and expensive......

How many coarses of bricks are on top of the beam/plate? Photo,s would really help


Damp and timber framed houses go hand in hand and are to be expected, you may need a sizeable wallet though......

sparkie7203

Thanks, sorry Ive not got any photos. Will try and get some tomorrow. Is that what the wood is called then - a plate ? I must admit I am surprised at what I am looking at (if it is what I think ) - that the whole house sits on a wooden base.
The whole wall sits above the wooden base - the wood is at ground level and seems to sit on brick which is actually below ground level

leveller2911

Sounds about right, its common for the plate to sit either on a coarse of bricks and also directly on earth.Is the brickwork that sits on the plate infill? ie: brickwork in between oak studs(uprights), if so its not as bad ,as the studwork would be structural and loadbearing and the infill brickwork is just that infill, sometimes it can be bricks othertimes wattle and daub and even mathmatical tiles(looks like brickwork but actually tiles)... But thats not to say its not a problem, it can be easier to put right......

sparkie7203

1stly thanks for your reply. Yes it is just infill. With the interior walls I am acutally hoping to take the brick out leaving just the oak beams. I'm doing most of the work myself but the bits that need some serious consideration and skill I'm leaving to the experts. I'll be seeing the builder tomorrow. Perhaps I can remove this rotten timber and replace with brick ? Obviously I need to ensure that the base of the supporting beams are sound

leveller2911

Brickinfill was never an original feature, Building materials and fashions changed through the centuries.The big problem with brick infill is firstly mass increased weight on the Oak plates(also known as sill beams) which can distort the Oak frame and secondly over the years when re-pointing was carried out many builders would use cement which is a big No No.......... Lime Plastered panels is the way to go......Good luck and keep us posted .....

I use to work for a company who did a lot of National Trust and Church work which I use to love , really miss it now.......Good luck.....


PS Is it Listed ?? Make sure your Builder has experience of Oak Timber framed houses as many don't and someone without the specialised knowledge can do more harm that good....No use of modern silicones or cement.......

ormus

how do you know all the timber plates are rotten?

olias

Sounds like you will have to support the walls with some system of acro props while the plates are replaced. You may well need a structural engineers report if you are considering replacing them with brick as this will obviously not spread the load as evenly as a plate so may need underpinning with some sort of pier under the uprights.

You will also need to consider building regs over the supports and also the insulation which I am sure you will be using in the infill.

TBH, if you are using a builder, you really need to get one with experience of period properties or you could end up with all sorts of problems if he uses modern building techniques like concrete, DPC's and cement based mortars which could result in more damp problems than you have now!

Olias