On a recent visit to discover why someone's timber floor was beginning to "dip" Chartered Surveyor Douglas Snell found a chain of unhappy events everyone should be wary of. Read More >>
When adding an extension across the back of a house the builder forgot to make provision for air bricks, which allow air flow under the suspended timber floor of both the new extension and the original building, only about 10 years old itself.
Where's the harm you might think? It will keep the underside of my house cosy warm. Unfortunately, it will also keep the underside of your house moist. And moist air allows mould and fungus to breed unchecked. What looks like white soap suds in the picture is actually the mycelium of a fungi that grows rapidly and rots the timbers. The brown growth on the bottom of the kitchen cabinet leg is the dreaded dry rot sporophore.
This simple mistake has led in this case to the stripping out and replacement of all affected timbers and treatment of non affected, just in case. A substantial project indeed. So be aware, sub floor ventilation is vital.
If you are worried about any structural defect in your property, contact Woodward Chartered Surveyors for advice.
What does that crack in your home mean? Chartered Surveyor Kate Farrar takes a look into why buildings crack.
Our Chartered Surveyors often see houses where only part of a chimney has been removed, often just the ground floor or ground and first floor, remaining only in the loft.
Homeowners rarely go to the cost of scaffold to remove the chimney above the roof, or may not be able to if it is shared with a neighbour. So if you are only part removing a chimney, what do you need to be wary of?
