ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 (edited) I've recently purchased a property which hasn't been lived in for 2 years. There is a lot of damp on a couple of walls so I called a building surveyor to inspect, he got a builder round and they both suspect that I have dry rot in a number of rooms around the house 🫤 this was in the plaster.  I would be very grateful on some advice.  I have removed all the plaster on a couple of the affected walls and it's now back to brick ( See photos ).  What would you recommend for remedial action? The builder suggested back to brick, injecting / spraying permaguard treatment all over the affected walls then using black jack over the full surface of the wall and then dry lining afterwards with plasterboard and roofing timber. They suggested concreting all the floors but I assume this will be costly and I'm not sure if it's worthy as the damp seems very localised. If I replaced floor boards and joists within one meter and treated all connecting wood with permaguard, do you suspect this to be sufficient?  Over the next few days I will rip up all the carpet and inspect the flooring to see if its been affected in the main room. It has been advised to remove all the flooring and joists and fill with concrete, however the condition of the flooring underneath hadnt been seen. I've read online about anything 1 meter from the last sighting of dry rot, so I'm edging towards just replacing nearby floorboards which could have been affected.  I believe the cause is due to water ingress through cracks in the render & poor guttering.  Thanks for any advice. Edited July 26 by ClifftopBuild96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 Skirting boards seem damp and have lost their strength but the floorboards are still in solid condition and don't show any obvious defects ( to my unprofessional eye). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Yikes, I can’t help, but would say:  remember to wear a dust mask. I’m getting an asthma attack just looking at those images… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 It may be damp, I'm not convinced that it's dry rot. The first image looks more like heavy efflorescence (if so, it should crush to a powder and will dissolve in vinegar), and the timber in the 5th doesn't have the typical cracking that dry rot exhibits. Â Even if it is, the key is to identify where the damp originated, prevent it returning, dry everything out and replace all damaged timber. Â In addition to fixing the rendering and guttering (and the roof?), you also need proper ventilation. For example, those PVC windows need automatic trickle vents (I'd guess all other rooms do too), unless you install MVHR or similar. And since you've hacked off the plaster / need to fix the render, it's an ideal time to look at wall insulation & airtightness. Â Finally, beware that the 'Artex' textured ceiling may contain asbestos. Tests are available and there are other threads on the topic. Â Â 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClifftopBuild96 Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 On 28/07/2024 at 19:02, Mike said: It may be damp, I'm not convinced that it's dry rot. The first image looks more like heavy efflorescence (if so, it should crush to a powder and will dissolve in vinegar), and the timber in the 5th doesn't have the typical cracking that dry rot exhibits.  Even if it is, the key is to identify where the damp originated, prevent it returning, dry everything out and replace all damaged timber.  In addition to fixing the rendering and guttering (and the roof?), you also need proper ventilation. For example, those PVC windows need automatic trickle vents (I'd guess all other rooms do too), unless you install MVHR or similar. And since you've hacked off the plaster / need to fix the render, it's an ideal time to look at wall insulation & airtightness.  Finally, beware that the 'Artex' textured ceiling may contain asbestos. Tests are available and there are other threads on the topic.   Thanks for the info Mike. I hadn't thought about the potential for the arte to contain asbestos, so that's a good shout for sure. I've been wearing a mask for the majority of the time & have been leaving the windows open as its very dusty! I'll look into purchasing some tests.  Yep that makes sense regarding insulation, at the moment the property has an EPC rating of F... So it needs looking into for sure!   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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