Dry rot on ground floor

[Bobgoblin]

Hello!
I'm new here, and was very excited (until yesterday) to start doing up our new home!
We bought a Victorian end of terrace in Cumbria and moved in a couple of weeks ago. Whilst carefully stripping the ancient paint in the living room, we removed a skirting board and discovered what's likely to be dry rot tendrils. We then removed the board at the other side of the room (same external wall) and found some more. Then into the next room (external wall) and found some more. We've hit panic station.

The survey mentioned that it's worth a damp specialist coming to look at the ground floor and loft because there the readings are slightly higher than he'd like, but doing some surrounding research, his readings seemed pretty reasonable for an old property, and we were happy with proper ventilation, heat and breathability as a cure.

We're starting to hit panic stations - every damp specialist website looks like a con by Big Chem.

Towards the end of the buying process we discovered the end wall (top to bottom) has been tanked, including the cellar. Tapping the render on the outside of this same wall I can hear a blown or lighter patch.

The house is on a gentle incline.

Do you have any advice or recommendations for FTB who are suddenly in over their head? We've saved up for emergencies, but this is a huge shock.

We've ripped off some skirting boards upstairs but can't see any signs of it up there.

 

[phillc]

I am no expert on rot (and there are people on here that are) but I'd be 50:50 on that being dry rot, based on my having met dry rot once or twice.

Did the skirting boards you removed have the classic signs of dry rot - deep cuboidal cracking? If you get down there, is there a strong musty mushroom smell? If you take off one of the tendrils and let it dry does it snap rather than bend?

As I said, I am not an expert - if one comes along, talk to them not me - but I think it worth confirming you have dry rot before going into full on internet doom scrolling. As you wrote, there are plenty of companies who will amplify your fears and relieve you of your money (and sanity).

Whatever it is, the first question is to diagnose and resolve the damp issue. Whatever it is will just come back if you don't.

 

[Bobgoblin]

Thanks Phil.

Doomscrolling is certainly something I'd considered doing, but thought I'd come straight to a better source of nicer (and wiser) folks looking to do the best for their homes!

No cuboidal cracking, but flaking and the skirting is crushable between the fingers. Doesn't feel wet to the touch.

It looks suspiciously like the wiki article photo of dry rot, but we haven't found any mushroom growth.

Agree we should focus on finding a fix for the moisture.

The house does not have air bricks, which I've found surprising - seems like something it would benefit from.

 

[jamest]

That looks to be a suspended floor - boards nailed to joists - in which case you absolutely must ventilate the under floor space using airbricks. If there are none and no other ventilation, those joists will have rotted, so it's just a matter of time before the floor collapses.

If it were me, I'd be lifting those boards to determine the extent of rot damage to the joists, digging out all the material between them (even if it's insulation, hard to tell from the photo) and assessing the under floor void. Once that's done, you'll know which joists need replacement or repair and be able to install a sufficient number of airbricks to allow cross ventilation of the space.

If the timber is dry (<20% moisture), dry rot won't grow in it. If you can get the old and new timber that dry, then costly poisonous treatment may not be required. A good, independent surveyor whose not trying to sell you chemicals, but just giving honest, expert advice is what you need. Good luck!

 

[Bobgoblin]

Thanks so much! That sounds very positive. A lot of work, but essential.
They've apparently put some insulation under the floor too, which certainly won't be helping.

Feels a bit like everything the previous owners could have attempted to do, they've done with poor advice. A shame, but we'll get there!