woodworm and damp - help!

pamelavhill

Thinking of offering on an 18th Century cottage but survey says it has signs of woodworm, damp in one section and external windows and doors showing signs of rot or soft sections of wood. I know it sounds like a nightmare but am wondering how I can assess how bad the problem really is and how I can find out quickly to enable me to decide whether to offer on this property or not? Any ideas welcome - thanks!

Argghhh

i would guess do what the survey advises - which will certainly be obtain a full report on the rot/woodworm from a specialist company to assess the problem/ costs to rectify

G_M

But not from a salesman who claims to be a surveyor, and who works for a compny that provides worm/damp treatment. He will simply 'find' evidence of work his company can do.

You need an independant specilaist surveyor with no ulterior motive.

Old cottages need maintenance. You need to accept that buying one involves costs, if not immediately, at some point.

But also bear in mind that holes in wood could be (usually are) evidence of work 100 years ago! The holes don't magically fill up once the pupae have flown.

And damp diagnosed by so-called 'damp meters' is often non-existant.

So: independant specialist.

Does the house smell damp? Peeling paint/wallpaper? Condensation on windows etc? Or are the 'damp meter' readings the only evidence?

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising-damp/

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/woodworm-the-hole-in-the-argument/

Wooden window frames DO decay/rot if not regularly maintained (re-painted) as do doors to a lesser extent. But repairing or replacing them is not a huge job. More of an issue is if the rot has spread to structural timbers.

Whether you can negotiate on purchase price depends on you and the seller.

konark

These are pretty standard complaints for an 18th century cottage. If you do have to fit replacements you may find them expensive as the house is almost certain to be listed.