Dry Rot Treatment

1. What is dry rot?

Dry rot is the most aggressive type of timber decay. It is a fungus that digests the cellulose component of timber turning it brown and fatally weakening it with often-catastrophic failure as a result.

2. Identifying dry rot

Dry rot produces a white fungal growth with yellow and lilac fringes often accompanied by a very strong musty smell.

This is followed by a brick red fruiting body producing large quantities of bright orange spores that are spread via air movement throughout the building in turn spreading the infection. This is of particular significance, as it does not require high moisture levels to grow.

3. The risks of dry rot

Dry rot grows very rapidly and without the appropriate treatment is extremely difficult to control. It grows between bricks via the mortar beds and can pass through party walls into adjoining properties. It can also pass behind the wall plaster and spread rapidly via wall studs and lathes.

In extreme cases it will eventually cause the structure of the entire building to become compromised with catastrophic results.

4. Hillcrest dry rot survey

The most important part of any dry rot treatment is establishing the extent of the dry rot growth within the structure. To protect our clients Hillcrest will only offer a quotation following the necessary exposure work to establish this. At that time it is also essential that the source of the water that initiated the rot is established and repaired (this can be roofing or rainwater goods, plumbing or interrupted sub floor ventilation)

5. Treating dry rot

In brief, the treatment of dry rot is by the complete removal of all infected materials (brickwork, wall plaster, timber flooring and walls). The identification of the source of the moisture and it’s elimination l in tandem with the careful removal of the fruiting bodies and fungal growth, followed by the treatment of the remaining masonry and timbers with the appropriate fungicides and timber preservatives.

Following this the removed timbers are replaced in new pre-treated timber sections, wrapped and isolated in a fungicidal bandage and the wall plaster renewed.

All the preceding is normally executed under the direct supervision of the original Hillcrest specialist surveyor who specified the work.

Hillcrest will then issue a TEN-YEAR GUARANTEE in the treated areas.

You can trust Hillcrest for Dry Rot Consultancy, Mitigation and Litigation, give us a call today on +44 208 556 5411.