Structural survey - wet rot

tbs624 · 12 June 2008 at 11:15AM

Many of the companies that offer timber/damp surveys have a vested interest in selling you their "solution".

You may find it more helpful to use an independent who will provide impartial advice: http://www.abbeyis.com/ I have no commercial links with them

archaeoliz · 12 June 2008 at 11:30AM

Thank you!! I have contacted them. Hopefully a bit of impartial advice will help us figure out what's really going on.

narced · 12 June 2008 at 11:40AM

I'd suggest before spending over £6000 on a DPC that may not be needed you get some proper advice from someone unbiassed - the 'specialist' companies that do wet/dry rot treatment and DPCs are trying to sell you their services and they more often than not prescribe treatment that is not necessary. From your photos I can't see any evidence of rot - take a screwdriver and prod the wood, you'll quickly be able to tell if there is any.

Also you might want to get a copy of this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunday-Telegraph-Guide-Looking-Property/dp/0333907884

it has some good advice on things like damp.

Bungarm2001 · 12 June 2008 at 11:44AM

6K is well off the mark, even if it is dry rot which it doesn't look like it to me, just looks like a few cobwebs from very unscary spiders!

It could be that the DPC has been breached, but the price for 'fixing it' is also extortionate. Easy as others have said to check the DPC, just take a walk around the outside and look for stuff touching the walls and the ground at the same time. Most times, just the removal of the substance or things that are causing the breach and time to allow things to dry out is all that is needed.

I think I would have done a 'poke' test too with a small screwdriver in an inconspicuos place on the skirtings. It does look like the paintwork is covering something dodgy ranging from dry rot to several layers of badly applied paint underneath. I wouldn't mind betting its just new paintwork toshed over layers of paint that was previously not prepared properly, i.e. not sanded well.

I would be very wary of any company saying you needed a full DPC course installed, especially a chemical one (useless, and a rip off in my book...)

Issy01 · 12 June 2008 at 2:15PM

Hello again.

The ground level should never be raised above the DPC and if it is then this could and most probably cause damp. You can quite easily see for yourself if the ground level does breach the DPC.

They have quoted to do a chemical DPC - does this include hacking off the plaster and re-plastering. The reason I ask is that they both normally go hand in hand and this could be why the quote is expensive. If the quote is purely for replacing timbers and a chemical DPC then it is really expensive.

If the quote is for replastering then I would ask them to break down the costs. I'd get them to just quote for the timbers and chemical DPC and then ask for a self employed plasterer to quote for replastering. Make sure that it is re-plastered to the specialists specification though, this way your guarantee will not be void. (They may want an additive mixed with the plaster - this should be able to be bought of the damp company).

hope that helps

Issy01 · 12 June 2008 at 2:26PM

I was just reading some of the other posts - after I've just posted - bit silly of me.

Just to confirm dry rot is the worse one, not as bad as wet rot.

Also in my opinion, I don't think chemical DPCs are worth having if they are not replastering aswell. like I said they should really go hand in hand.

tbs624 · 12 June 2008 at 4:24PM

Bungarm2001 wrote: »

6K..... Most times, just the removal of the substance or things that are causing the breach and time to allow things to dry out is all that is needed............I would be very wary of any company saying you needed a full DPC course installed, especially a chemical one (useless, and a rip off in my book...)

Totally agree.

archaeoliz · 12 June 2008 at 4:27PM

Ok... the saga continues!!

The surveyor called this morning to say he was rather surprised about the cost of the proposed works (and yup it does include stripping and replastering the walls up to 1m).

One of his specific instructions, as he suspected dry rot initially, is that a skirting board needs removed and floorboards lifted in the sitting and dining rooms to check the cavity under there and check for the distinctive cuboid cracking of dry rot.

I called Island Treatments (the specialists) who did the survey for us and despite a written instruction they did not take off a skirting board neither did they lift floorboards - I was not a happy bunny. They went round with a damp meter. He did maintain that it was "too wet for dry rot", and it looked like "typical wet rot". Hmmmmm - I'm not an expert but I do know it needs to be just as wet for dry rot as wet. (EDIT - actually I've just found out that dry rot prefers it slightly dryer than wet rot, so maybe I was being over-suspicious!)

So we asked the surveyor for a recommendation and the recommended man is going over there next week and will be lifting floorboards and taking of a skirting board (oh and making good too).

Another strange thing is the surveyor (main full structural chap) won't finish his report until he's got the damp details from the other specialists - plus he keeps implying (not necessarily subtley) that he thinks the vendor is trying to cover something up.