Dry Rot on lintel/bressomer beam

[dickrickulous]

Hello

Just completed on my first house ( a 2 bed, 100yr old mid terrace) and was replacing the wooden lintel when the builder stopped due to suspected dry rot. He has exposed the wooden lintel and seen what he believes to be dry rot so he has asked for it to be assessed properly before he continues with the work (and any other work if it is required).

My question

The only wood near there is the floorboards and joists for the first floor. The other parts of the property (sub floor/roof) are fine and clear or dry rot. I believe the beam would have been subject to penetrating damp from the bay window area and the outside pointing which I was going to have redone anyway.

I will be amending these points but if the wooden joists and floorboards into the property are found to have dry rot and they are not structurally compromised can they simply be treated? Obviously I don't want to replace them unless it is neccessary.

 

[Deluks]

Replacing is the only sensible course of action. The rot can set deeper into the timber than any brush or spray on treatment can penetrate. You don't need to replace the whole timber but need to cut back up to 500mm (IIRC) from the affected area with pre-treated timber, then treat the old good bit as well.

 

[dickrickulous]

Thank you for the reply.

I thought as much but wanted to check. Won't know how far it has spread until my builder and surveyor can dig a little deeper.

 

[dickrickulous]

//www.diynot.com/network/dickrickulous/albums/4298/17215

//www.diynot.com/network/dickrickulous/albums/4298/17216

Here are two pictures of the lintel. You can see the white spots on the left hand side of one of the pictures which is the growth that my builder saw and stopped for. You can also see that the lintel is quite dark in places and seems quite damp itself.

Do you reckon it looks more like dry or wet rot?

 

[anobium]

Very difficult to be sure on the evidence of your pics, could you take some more closer to the beam?
From what I can see it is more likely to be wet rot.

 

[lostinfens]

It certainly doesn't look like dry rot from your pictures. Dry rot does as it says & rots the wood, it also smells strongly of mushrooms. It spreads with plant like "tentacles" (don't know the scientific name) from a fruiting body. You need a point of damp ingress to set it off & fairly ideal conditions for it to prosper, but when it does, it will pass through brick joints as it spreads.
It's difficult from the photos and not seeing any other evidence to give an accurate opinion. I wouldn't be too hasty, don't panic

 

[dickrickulous]

Hi, thanks for your replies!

Will post some more pictures tomorrow when I can get them off my work phone. There isn't much in the way of growth but that beam I believe has attracted moisture or damp from either slipped external brickwork outside or a minor fault in the bay window.

Looking in a bit the first joist in (which runs parallel) seems unaffected. The previous owner said that there were no problems with the upstairs flooring when laminate was put in in 2006.

Anyway, my surveyor is coming back to look at it with my builder so I'll know what is what tomorrow. Going to get them to inspect the sub floor voids fully as well just to be sure. Im aware I need a new DPC and an extra airbrick at one end of the room but I'm hunting for any other potential rot now!

 

[lostinfens]

Why do you need a new dpc, what happened to your old one?

 

[dickrickulous]

The current DPC is ineffective in some places as they injected chemicals above the membrane on one wall. Also need 2 new air bricks as well ideally.

Had my surveyor come back and assess the beam. He classed it as minor wet rot from water penetrating the brickwork above the flashing for the bay window and coming down onto the beam. The beam is still being replaced as normal but with a cavity drip tray to direct any water back out.

Also had the surveyor check the sub floor voids too and they were clean and clear of any rot whatsoever which is good news

 

[lostinfens]

Doesn't the property have a physical dpc then?