Rotting floorboards?

[zea83]

I got gas central heating installed on Monday, the workers asked if there had been a flood in the flat years ago and I said I'd had my suspicions the previous tenant had flooded the flat as there was a terrible problem with the drains when I moved in. My landlord fixed the drains and I've never had any problems. They told me that the floorboards in the kitchen, hall and my bedroom were in some state when they lifted them to place the gas pipes. Today (Wednesday) my dad came over to lift the rest of the flooring off the kitchen as I am getting new vinyl fitted next week and the floorboards underneath were smelling of damp, they were black in some places and my foot nearly went through the floor at one point. I've informed my landlord who said she will send a joiner round next week but I am a single mum to a 4 year old daughter and I worry she'll hurt herself as well as worry I might do the same. I've included photos of the damage and I've emailed them to my landlord as well to stress the urgency for this.

Untitled

• zea83
• 5 Dec 2012
• 1

Untitled

• zea83
• 5 Dec 2012
• 1

Untitled

• zea83
• 5 Dec 2012
• 1

Do you think the floorboards will need replaced? When walking on the kitchen floor prior to the laminate being removed for the gas pipes it always felt a bit bouncy in places and there were 4 layers of very old lino underneath the laminate as well.

 

[Burnerman]

This has been a long on going damp issue - one flood doesn't create problems like this.
The floorboards (at least in the immediate vicinity) need to be lifted and the damaged joists beneath removed and made good. There are likely to be more problems than those you can see just now.
Having access to the underfloor will give you or a contractor an insight to whether or not there are still damp problems / leaking drains etc.
John

 

[gregers]

id be very surprised if this doesnt escalate to be a bigger job then you 1st think.

 

[zea83]

Thank you for your reply John. There is a lot more damage but these were the worst affected areas. My dad wasn't keen on lifting anymore of the lino for fear of it worsening.

That is my fear gregers but if it needs done to make my home safer for my daughter and I then it needs to be done.

 

[Burnerman]

It looks like you should maybe put your vinyl covering on hold for a while, Zea..... one things for sure, ignoring the issue isn't the thing to do.
If the damp problems are in more places than the kitchen (the usual area) then there's more remedial work to be done.
I'm a wee bit concerned that the moisture content of your place is higher than you think.....maybe your landlord would consider a dehumidifier to be installed? For £130 or thereabouts for a portable unit its possible to extract about 4 litres of water a day, if the rooms are reasonably warm.
John

 

[zea83]

I had a bad damp and mold problem in my bedroom and the spare room (both of which are exterior walls) the first winter I was here, my dad treated the mold and landlord bought a dehumidifier which helped. She looked into getting cavity fitting in the walls but it wasn't possible. My previous heating was storage heaters which were useless, only the one in the living room worked so half the flat was cold which I am sure has not helped the damp problem at all but I've been told that the central heating will help with the damp a bit.

I know I sound like a stereotypical woman but I really do not know anything about these types of things and rely on my dad and uncles to help me. lol

 

[Burnerman]

The central heating will certainly be a great help, and it sounds like it is seriously overdue.....
Dampness is a long talked about topic in the forum, and it can be minimised by ventilation, using kitchen and bathroom extractors and not allowing too much washing to be dried inside the house.....fairly obvious stuff really but ignored by many!
John