Q. I am in the process of buying a top floor flat. I have asked an inspection of the roof for woodworm. I have just received the result it says: ‘The timber revealed evidence of an infestation by the common furniture beetle, Anobium Punctatum, to ceiling and joists and roof rafters’. So a proper treatment will be carried out. Regarding this result should I ask an inspection of the floors as well, although the present owner told that a treatment was done 4 years ago, is it possible that the infestation has spread to the floor?

Submitted by: CD 

Q. Our cottage was built in 1870 and was a hay loft originally. Our loft is unusual in that it is not possible to ventilate the loft as there is no gap between the roof felt and the wall plate for air to get from the ventilated soffit through to the inside of the loft. Also loft insulation has been tightly stuffed into the eaves. After we bought the cottage we found the rafters had a white deposit like dust in the area adjacent to the roof felt and this deposit gets wider as the roof narrowed to the eaves. I measured a wood moisture content of 25% in the rafters very close to the felt. It was more like 17% at the same location away from the felt near the edge of the wood. I ventilated the loft space which had completely still air by inserting soffit vents into the felt at a number of locations and sealing around them with mastic. The gaps in the slates allowed air to blow in. This has helped quite a lot but the relative humidity in the rafters is still high enough for dry rot to take hold although there is no evidence of it. Is it true that dry rot can only start when wood touches masonry, which in my case is where the wall plate touches the wall, an area completely coved in loft insulation? Should I remove the loft insulation in that area and spray a dry rot inhibitor. Should I also spray all the other wood in the loft? Should I lay a plastic sheet in the loft to act as humidity barrier to stop humid air rising into the loft from below? Should I be concerned or do nothing on the basis it's been OK all these years. Please, I need expert advice! Thanks for your time. 

Submitted by: DM

Q. We are buying a basement flat (120 years old) and just had our survey. We have been warned that the air bricks are above ground level and that there might be inadequate under floor ventilation. The surveyor has said there may be ducts from the air bricks that go down to sub-floor level. Is there anyway of checks if this is the case? We are concerned about possible dry rot if there is no ventilation under the floor.

Submitted by: G
 

Q. My daughter has seen a house for sale but there is staining on the bedroom walls suggesting dry rot. The vendor stated that remedial work hard been carried out to combat dry rot but cannot produce a certificate, Should she proceed?

Submitted by: AAW
 

Q. I have recently purchased a house which has a 30 year guarantee for woodworm and damp treatment which was issued in 1994.  The contractor who issued the guarantee has subsequently been taken over by another company. The successor company say they will not honour the guarantee in the event of a claim (none has yet arisen) unless the survey report is also produced - and this is a condition in the guarantee.  There is no survey report and it would appear therefore that the guarantee is worthless. What options are available to me in these circumstances?

Submitted by: DT
 

Q. I live on the first floor flat of a converted terrace house. Both flats (upstairs and downstairs) are occupied and are owned on a leasehold basis to a freeholder. I have had a persistent leak in my flat on the first floor which had only recently been identified as water from the bath/shower head going behind the bath tiles and seeping underneath the bath into the downstairs flat. The waste pipe in the bath had been a problem and we believed this had been the consistent culprit as the waste pipe was always wet, even when replaced. The bathroom has always smelt mouldy and the real problem of water getting beneath the tiles looks like it has been on-going since the bathroom was remodelled two years ago. The ceiling downstairs has widespread mould on bonding plaster and on wood that has become like papier-mâché once the bonding was taken off. On investigation the joists between us are thoroughly soaked. Further investigation has revealed damage to door frames and water damage to the floor and walls (in the room next to the bathroom). The building insurance is in the freeholder’s name. They accept the problem has been over a long period but believe they only need to immediately retile the bathroom and immediately rebond a small part of the downstairs ceiling without any form of drying. They will only replace a small part of the ceiling downstairs in spite of wider spread water marks. The leak has been consistent as long as I have had shower in two years i.e everyday. How should this be treated professionally?

Submitted by: VP
 

Q. How do I prevent wet rot?

Submitted by: KM 

Q. I have just been quoted an extra £700 for 'fogging' (for woodworm) and the removal of a small area of wet rot under a floor, which was discovered during a treatment for rising damp (for which I have a separate quote). This will involve replacing a couple of joists.
Do you think this is reasonable?

Submitted by: HC

Q. We are looking at a property that has had its slate roof under sprayed with polyurethane foam. So much so that you cannot see the roof timbers at all. Will this cause damp at some stage?

Submitted by: PS

Q. The hall in our bungalow is badly infested with common furniture beetle. This will be treated with boron and the floor replaced but my concern is the other rooms. Is the suggested treatment applied in mist form from the outside of the house through the air vents effective?

Submitted by: RT 

Q. We own a very large old listed property which has recently been the subject of extensive renovation work including in excess of £10K`s worth of dry rot treatment. The builders have followed the specialists company’s advice - all ceiling rafters, plaster walls and floor boards have all been replaced where outbreaks have occurred - and replaced with concrete lintels all new timber has been treated and where in contact with walls covered with heavy protective membrane .To our dismay in two areas 1- ceiling joists and under floor in the library and 2 -wooden floor board in the dining room. Both were laid 4/6 months ago and recently developed fruiting spores under the membrane in the ceiling and along many floor boards in the dining room & library. In the library there is no evidence of water penetration and the feeling is that it is the membrane itself which has produced the condensation. In the dining room - again it is difficult to determine if outside water has penetrated - We have been advised that the cause in both may be due to the fact we have installed central heating system and it is that which is causing the rise in humidity leading to condensation. We now face further treatment but are at a loss to know which is the best way to go as no one seems to know for sure. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Submitted by: CW 

Q. We live in a 600 year old stone built cottage. In 1724 a vicarage was built next door (on one adjoining wall) and the two houses were interconnected via internal doors. The houses were subsequently divided back into two separate dwellings. We have since learned the house next door has been held up with acrow props due to wet and dry rot. Is this likely to affect our cottage?

Q. We bought our home 1.5 years ago and the professional inspection said there was no dry rot anywhere in the home.  We are now selling our house, and an inspector has said there is a lot dry rot.  Could this have happened in the 1.5 years that we've lived here?

Submitted by: A

Q. I have recently purchased a house which has a 30 year guarantee for woodworm treatment which was issued in 1994. The contractor who issued the guarantee has subsequently been taken over by another company. The successor company say they will not honour the guarantee in the event of a claim (none has yet arisen) unless the survey report is also produced - and this is a condition in the guarantee. There is no survey report and it would appear therefore that the guarantee is worthless. What options are available to me in these circumstances?

Submitted by: DT 

Q. Can woodworm affect your health? We have been working in house that it is covered in woodworm and when you bang or cut the timber the air is full of the woodworm dust and when you breathe in it makes your nose hurt.

Submitted by: E
 

Q. How and what is the best way to remove dry rot fungi on a brick wall?

Submitted by: ES 

Q. How would I know if my property has Dry Rot?

Submitted by: PB 

Q. What is ‘woodworm’?

Submitted by: GC 

Q. How do I know if woodworm is active?

Submitted by: DT 

Q. A while ago we found woodworm in the frame of a newly purchased modern mirror hung in our bathroom. We returned it to the shop and had a refund. However some months later we have discovered woodworm in a wall cabinet in the same bathroom but on the opposite side of the room. We know that we will have to treat this or throw it away! Our main question is; How does the woodworm travel and how quickly, as we have another cupboard, wooden floor and there is of course the door to the bathroom and the skirting which is also wood. Do we need to treat all of these? Also how likely is it to spread through the house?

Submitted by: JP