MIssing Bricks and Mouldy Beams

Hi,

I've been revonating our house for a few months now and it's turning up a treasure trove of unexpected problems and the results of exceedingly bad DIY. I've been able to fix most of the them but I need some advice on these two problems.

The first is a number of missing bricks from what might be a load bearing wall. It runs perpendicular to the joists and is well supported all the way to the cellar but there is only the loft above it. I'm not completely convinced it's load bearing as the floor joists end on a parallel wall a couple of meters away.



My plan is to remove the foul pipes and brick up the hole. The bricks above the hole are lose though, should I take them out, clean them up and re-insert them or just repoint them? I'm concerned if I take them out the whole wall will come down.

The next problem is with mould. I lifted a floorboard to run a cable and noticed a white mould growing on a beam. This beam is part of the parallel wall I mentioned above and is most certainly load bearing.


The beam seems to be in very good shape (it's still hard as steel) considering it's growing mould. There was a shower in close proximity to it for many years and I don't think the person using the shower knew how to close the door as they have managed to wreak all the floorboards in the bathroom. I was thinking of just spraying it with an anti-fungal solution and whiping off the worst of it. Is that enough?

Many thanks for your help.

give it a clean with a wire brush and hoover up the dust. this will also identify any rotten or wormy parts as they will crumble away with the wire brush. Cleaning up the dust will mean that any future damage is easy to spot as there will be new dust. Give it several flowing coats of Cuprinol Green or similar and let each soak in before applying the next, leave it uncovered to dry off quicker. Do the cleaning first as there is no point in preserving dirt.

BTW when testing timber for rot or worm, poke it with a flat-bladed screwdriver. if you use a pin or nail you will leave round holes which will in future look like insect holes and give a false impression of damage.

If you discover noticable rot or insect damage you will have to cut out and replace.

The beam you refer to as mouldy looks like a noggin?
It is a piece of wood between joists used to keep joists from twisting. In this case it looks like it is in a position where joists overlap above a supporting wall.

Tony

Trust me, that's not a noggin. It's a 4"x6" by about 12' solid oak beam that holds up the second floor. If it was just a noggin I'd rip it out and replace it.

Cool, the picture is deceiving.

Tony