Specialist Dry Rot Control London

A local surveyor from Peter Cox was called in to carry out a specialist damp and timber survey in a property located in South London.

The client owned two flats within the same building, and had concerns after the tenant had noticed signs of fungal decay within one of the properties. As the two flats used to be a terrace house, a survey was required for both of the properties in order to fully understand the extent of the problem and the source of moisture.

Peter Cox are able to provide specialist advice and solutions for damp and timber problems across South London, so if you have noticed similar problems in your property, get in touch.

We have vast experience in dealing with timber decay such as wet rot and dry rot  in domestic homes, commercial properties and listed and heritage buildings.

The survey began outside with an inspection of ground levels, condition of airbricks and if there were any building defects such as damaged guttering or broken tiles which could be providing a source of moisture.

The surveyor then inspected inside the property. One of the flats had suffered from a leak in a bathroom some time ago, and leak had been previously repaired by the client.

Despite the leak being fixed, moisture had become trapped within the property, and due to a lack of air circulation and ventilation, the moisture content of timber had increased to the point in which dry rot spores could germinate.

The dry rot had spread throughout the bathroom flor, before travelling into the ground floor and had even spread into the kitchen on the other side of the property.

This goes to show how destructive dry rot can be if left untreated. It has the capability to travel through masonry, brickwork and behind plasterwork in order to find new timber to attack.

The surveyor highlighted their findings in a survey report, which was then provided to the property owner. This included recommendations for dry rot control repairs, which they went ahead with.

Local technicians then attended the property in order to remove the fungal decay outbreak, and repair timber that had lost its structural integrity.

The dry rot outbreak had rotted away much of the timber floorboards, joists and wall plates, which had to be replaced.

Because the dry rot strands had spread behind wall plaster, this has to be hacked off and removed, before the brickwork was thoroughly brushed down to remove as much fungus as possible. Fungicidal treatments were they applied to the surfaces.

To improve ventilation airbricks were installed, helping prevent the humid conditions in the sub floor voids which had contributed to the outbreak in the first place.

When carrying out dry rot works in London, our technicians are provided with tools and equipment to minimise dust and debris.

They will use floor coverings, dust sheets and are equipped with vacuums throughout the treatment process.

When removing plasterwork or cutting timber, they will use Hilti dust extraction units which help remove airborne dust from the atmosphere, which can prevent dust landing on surfaces within the property.

The walls were then replastered by our plastering team to be able to leave the area ready for decoration.

If you are concerned about potential fungal decay issues affecting your property located in London, get in touch with Peter Cox today. Qualified surveyors and local technicians will be on hand to fully assess the extent of the problem, and provide you with recommendations to solve it for good.

Typically our dry rot works are backed by 20 year guarantees, giving you the peace of mind the problem will not return.

The local surveyor said “we come across dry rot fairly often across the City of London, and if left they can cause severe damage. In this case the property owner thought the problem was solved once the leak had been repaired, but unfortunately timber had become saturated and dry rot spores were able to germinate. Thankfully we have returned the property to its original condition, and the owner has the added benefit of a long term guarantee from Peter Cox”.