Wet rot treatment in Hertfordshire

Do you own a property in Hertfordshire with wet rot problems? Peter Cox can survey the problem, treat it and offer a long time guarantee on our work for complete peace of mind.

To get a better understanding of a Peter Cox wet rot treatment from initial survey to job completion, you can continue reading this page for a case study detailing a wet rot treatment we did in a 16th Century home in Hertfordshire. Alternatively, if you want one of our experts to survey your property for wet rot today then click the button below to book a survey online.

The homeowner had suspected there was an issue with the flooring in a section of their house and called Peter Cox to carry out a survey by a trained and qualified surveyor. The property dated to around 1595 and had several attempts at solving the problem in the past, to no success.  The surveyor lifted the floorboards in the room suspected of having structural damage and found evidence of wet rot fungus on the joists and wall plates.

This isolated damage is common in properties without a damp proof course where moisture can rise through the masonry which is in contact with the timbers, which was the case with this property. Some timber was also in contact with the oversite, which is a layer of concrete beneath a property. This can affect historic properties and premises across Hertfordshire and across the South East and if you think you may have a fungal decay problem you should book a survey for a trained professional to take a look.

Unlike dry rot which can spread throughout a property in search of new timber to attack, wet rot is isolated to the areas where moisture is present. Wet rot can attack both softwood and hardwood, and need an optimum moisture content of 40 to 60 percent. While wet rot cannot travel through masonry and brickwork like dry rot, it can still hollow out and destroy thick timber beams, and is responsible for much of the damage in buildings across the UK.

Due to the size of the wet rot issue in the property, numerous repairs were needed to the floor joists, floor wall plates and floorboards. Timbers were cut back and replaced, ensuring all contact surfaces were coated in fungicidal fluid and wrapped with PVC membrane to prevent moisture returning to the timber. All existing exposed timbers were treated with fungicidal fluid, debris was cleared away and floorboards were replaced or reused if in good enough condition. The air bricks were cleared to allow for ventilation in the sub floor void, to help prevent further moisture build up in the timbers.

Timber Treatments for wet rot carried out by Peter Cox come with a long-term guarantee of 20 years offering the homeowner peace of mind the outbreak would not return, and it can also be passed over to new homeowners if they moved.

If you think you may have a problem with fungal decay in your Hertfordshire property, then please get in touch with Peter Cox and we can arrange for a survey carried out by our trained and experienced surveyors.