Wet rot coniophora puteana

Do you see definite dampness internally or is it just the mould growth. Do you have any idea how long it took for the mould to grow?
 
Sponsored Links
Do you see definite dampness internally or is it just the mould growth. Do you have any idea how long it took for the mould to grow?

The paint immediately above the black mould fronds is peeling off. Also, above the shelf there is also some peeling paint but no mould. Three feet beneath the mould, the skirting board is rotten and the wall crumbling, but no mould of any colour.

None of it feels damp to me. I have no sense of smell but my lodger says she thinks it smells damp.

I dont know how long. those videos have been on those shelves for at least 10 years,
 
OK. I'd think carefully about spending quite a large amount on what will be very disruptive work. Mould growth is almost guaranteed to be the result of condensation and lack of air flow. I'm not saying there won't be some dampness in the wall but it is a Victorian solid wall house and you will have some dampness in there whatever you do. You can inject it all you like you won't keep the dampness out. The more measures you take to 'damp proof' the external the worse you are likely to make it. The way the wall works is to absorb dampness during wet weather and then evaporate it off during dry weather. All things being balanced everything will be well. The moment you add a magic solution or a cement render to prevent water getting in (which it won't do anyway) you are merely reducing the vital evaporation. A lot of the dampness in these types of walls comes from inside anyway - from internal vapour pressure migrating from internal to external. It is absolutely vital that this vapour can ultimately evaporate off. Otherwise it builds up and builds up in the walls and things just get worse.

Yes, ideally the garden wall would be sorted and separated from the outside wall. And if that opportunity ever arises (due to maintenance of the wall) then that's the time to sort it out. And ideally the patio would also be reduced in level. And, again, if the opportunity ever arises then sort that out. But those wouldn't be my first steps. From what I see you are not suffering excessive damp penetration issues. The mould growth, and the fact that after ten years the paint is just peeling here and there, tells me the immediate issue is condensation. You could solve that and get you back to where you've been for the last ten years by treating the mould and decoration - and a new piece of treated skirting.

If you want to go a bit further I would also have a look at insulating the back of the recess - where the bookshelf is. You (somebody) could fit a sheet of insulated plasterboard into the recess and make good for a relatively small cost. The insulation would raise the surface temperature of the wall and that will prevent surface condensation. I would more or less guarantee that would be enough to prevent the mould returning. To go further still you could also insulate the external wall as well. But it's not so easy to make good around the window etc. as it is in a recess. But it would be well worth doing if you are taking the room apart anyway and don't mind a bit more disruption. Also keep in mind that ventilation and airflow is good so anything you can do to increase those is also good. Also remember that last Winter was the wettest for about a million years so if any borderline issues were lurking it's no surprise they showed up now. Hopefully we won't get another one of those for a while.
 
John

I am extremely grateful for your long and detailed reply. Thank you so much!

You are saying, clean off the black spores, rub down the flaky paint, treat the plaster with something, replace the affected skirting, move things away from the wall and open the window plenty? That sounds nice and simple and do-able!

A man visited today from a damp specialist company.

He announced that the problem is definitely caused by the external wall, that abuts the area that has black spores.

He said he wants to rip out the entire alcove from skirting to ceiling, all the original Victorian woodwork (shelves and surrounds, skirting) and take off all the plaster, treat, then replaster, at a cost of £800.

It will then be up to me to get the woodwork reinstated by a carpenter.

When I pulled a face at the huge upheaval, destruction of Victorian woodwork and expense, he warned me not to believe any other firm, who might tell me that it can be cured in a simple, cheap, non-upheaval way.

I'm very sceptical about these companies because they are motivated by earning money.

Thoughts please?
 
Sponsored Links
I have just removed the videos and the shelving unit from the bottom section, to investigate. Here are the photos of that bottom section.














 
As you can see, the rot in the skirting is very localised. I bashed the bare plaster and the rotted skirting with the handle of my brush and a bit came off but not much. I tapped the brush handle all around the area and nothing else crumbled or was loose. It is all sound, apart from where you can see the wood obviously split and where the paint is missing.

It seems incredible to me that the entire alcove should be ripped out!

John you said

"You could solve that and get you back to where you've been for the last ten years by treating the mould and decoration - and a new piece of treated skirting".

The skirting that you can see is only the TOP part of skirting that reaches to the floor, it disappears behind that lowest shelf. So, presumably you mean remove that shelf (god knows how) in order to replace the whole skirting.

When you say treat the mould, can you advise which product I should use?

Many thanks

LHL
[/i][/b]
 
oh dear,be prepared this is where your heart MAY sink ?
you are going to have to lift the carpet and take up some floor boards to expose exactly what may or may not be happening under neath.
whereabouts in sussex are you?
 
gregors,


You have twice asked the OP to lift an imaginary carpet, and twice asked the OP to lift, presumably below the imaginary carpet, some boards. This after the OP had stated that the finished floor was recently laid laminate. If possible, crawling the oversite is what professional people do before lifting any flooring.


Your advised solution for the wet rot growth was a bleach wash & air movement. To recommend such a "treatment" means that you have no idea what you are looking at or its significance.

You made no mention of the abutment wall, the render, the semi-blocked vents or the possibly bridged DPC as likely factors in a fungal infection. Likewise ignored was the possible significance of a void property next door.

Your first post claimed that it was feasible that the OP could : "sit back and enjoy life" - now you make a
slightly hysterical claim that the OP must " be prepared" for a capitalised heart sinking moment - just like a bad movie.

If i was the OP, my heart would have sunk at your first post, and have dropped further since.

LHL,

I would strongly advise you not to part with any personal details to the user name gregors, or anyone else. I would also advise you to ignore his mostly foolish suggestions. He has scant knowledge of the theory or practice of Damp & Timber remedial work.
 
ree,not that i wish to get into a flame war with yourself but you know absolutely nothing about me.
a lot of what has been bought up by yourself and others will be correct about the party wall,garden wall lack of venting etc.so i saw no reason to add to it.
what i commented on my 1st response to the op i was going by her 1st pic about the problem,but now the op has added more pics the situation obviously changes.
dont see how the problem can be eliminated without taking things up or apart,but hey ho you seem to think it can.

as for my c.v
over the years i have worked for 5 differing preservation firms,some very BIG and some smaller 1s,i dont wish to give them free advertising so i wont mention them.so surly something may have sunk in eh?

but hey i know fook all about anything.

and i still have contacts in this industry and was only trying to offer some kind of advice so the op doesnt get ripped off,

but ill step back and let the experts like you continue.
good luck op hope its good news for you and your wallet and the inconvenience is kept to a minimal disturbance.
 
jeds,

Your first post confidently claims that its: " a simple solution ... the mould got hold purely due to lack of ventilation ... caused by the bookshelf" - What mould?

Your remedy for an obvious fungal infection is to clean, spray & paint.

Next you note: "air movement & ventilation is the key to mould growth" - Mould again.

And confirm your findings, in the face of what the OP has shown and said, that after all: "the only ill effect is a bit of mould growth". - No its not.

Then, laughably, you confide in the OP that: "some forum dwellers dont always understand dampness and condensation" - well you sure dont mate. You have no understanding of what the pic shows or what its significance is.
And given that you are a forum dweller from 2004 with over 3000 posts its a bit of a disappointment. You claim to be a surveyor - a surveyor of what, odds and ends that you pick up off google?

There are no mould spots in the pics. Building Trade professionals doing D&T work refer to such fungal growths as seen in the pic as Poria, Coniophora, cellar rot or wet rots. They do not call them moulds.

Next you make a sudden leap to get yourself off the naughty hook: "as i said you could spend a lot of money on structural improvement" - no you didn't, you said no such thing. What do you mean by structural?

You've been told the skirting is crumbling but you still insist that: "from what I see you are not suffering from excessive damp penetration issues. ... You could solve that by by treating the mould & decoration - & a new piece of treated skirting." - And thats it, you still miss the significance of whats there in front of you.

LHL,

The user name jeds will cost you much money and disruption if his slip-shod remedies are followed. He simply doesn't understand what he's looking at.

Consider that you dont treat the cause(s) and down the line more serious difficulties are encountered? Consider further, that maybe your infection has infected the void house next door, and on exposure the other side approach you with a legal threat for substantial repair costs - would you advise: clean, spray, fresh air, and move any bookshelves?
 
LHL,

The bottom panel of the book case must be lifted and the plaster removed from the rear/party wall.

Whatever is exposed will then have to be followed up - maybe below the floor.
Have you located an access trap for the sub-floor crawl space?

Its possible that all the recess plaster will have to be hacked off and all the skirting and woodwork removed.

Its even possible that the skirting and plaster below the window will also have to be removed to bare brickwork - likewise the plaster to the left of the window.

It might be the pic but the skirting in the recess looks to be an older profile than the exterior skirting, plus the plaster is not the original plaster, perhaps remedial work has been performed before?

Exterior work required has been noted above, plus the external DPC must be located and exposed, free from any bridging.

There are other outstanding issues, and things to say that might help you and others who follow these threads but, for now, if you wish for further advice then come back here.

FWIW: there are no easier softer ways of dealing with what you have - only the correct way.
 
LHL,

The bottom panel of the book case must be lifted and the plaster removed from the rear/party wall.

Whatever is exposed will then have to be followed up - maybe below the floor.
Have you located an access trap for the sub-floor crawl space?

Its possible that all the recess plaster will have to be hacked off and all the skirting and woodwork removed.

Its even possible that the skirting and plaster below the window will also have to be removed to bare brickwork - likewise the plaster to the left of the window.

It might be the pic but the skirting in the recess looks to be an older profile than the exterior skirting, plus the plaster is not the original plaster, perhaps remedial work has been performed before?

Exterior work required has been noted above, plus the external DPC must be located and exposed, free from any bridging.

There are other outstanding issues, and things to say that might help you and others who follow these threads but, for now, if you wish for further advice then come back here.

FWIW: there are no easier softer ways of dealing with what you have - only the correct way.


Thank you for your reply. I feel an overwhelming sense of despair about all this. The thought of ripping out the woodwork, omg...

Have you located an access trap for the sub-floor crawl space?

Nope. No idea where that might be.

What would happen if I just wash off the black spores and do nothing? Is there any chance it can just die off/go away by itself? How many years before the room becomes uninhabitable?

LHL[/i]
 
Anything that you do to the fungal growths in the pics will only be cosmetic. You must go to the source and the cause of the source - you have already been advised on how to locate and deal with it.

As i mentioned above, i suspect that previous "cosmetic" remedial work has been done - and you now have the result.

The previous advisors, jeds and gregors, would have led you further up the garden path - but only because you wanted to be led that way. Its understandable, who wants expense and disruption.

As for your other questions: who knows?

What i've swerved so far, is the possibility of Dry Rot developing in the above conditions at some time in the future.

By the way, your shelving appears to be a very non-Victorian white melamine.
 
Thank you for your reply. I feel an overwhelming sense of despair about all this. The thought of ripping out the woodwork, omg...
Unfortunately, that's how these people operate. Wind up the fear factor and then move in with the unnecessary work and extortionate prices.

From you latest photos, you do need to remove that bottom panel and skirting. The side pieces will be fine and, if appropriate, a new bottom panel could be re fitted without too much disruption. But, unfortunately, it does need to come out. I would get that done first and then report back with what you find.
 
Anything that you do to the fungal growths in the pics will only be cosmetic. You must go to the source and the cause of the source - you have already been advised on how to locate and deal with it.

As i mentioned above, i suspect that previous "cosmetic" remedial work has been done - and you now have the result.

The previous advisors, jeds and gregors, would have led you further up the garden path - but only because you wanted to be led that way. Its understandable, who wants expense and disruption.

As for your other questions: who knows?

What i've swerved so far, is the possibility of Dry Rot developing in the above conditions at some time in the future.

By the way, your shelving appears to be a very non-Victorian white melamine.

Thanks Ree for your comments.

I shall take your comments about the wooden shelves being melamine as a compliment on my amazing decorating skills!

It's definitely wood. Pine, I'd say!

More in next message.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top