Dry Rot in London
Condensation damp in a built in wardrobe
Last week I was instructed to inspect some damp in an apartment within a converted Victorian building. The damp was in fact condensation within a built in wardrobe.
Just 2 meters away I noticed tell-tale cracking to a skirting board. The occupants informed me that this was related to a leak from the adjacent shower cubicle some time ago and was now resolved. I removed a small section of decayed timber and found the thriving mycelial growth of Dry Rot in London.
dry rot mycelial growth
Although the extent of growth didn’t allow definite identification I believe this is dry rot (serpula lacrymans) as a result of cracks across the grain and white fluffy mycelial growth with a pink/grey tinge.
Traditional treatment of dry rot involves stripping all timber within a 1 meter radius of any evidence of fungal growth. This is clearly very disruptive and in this situation would result in the expense of extensive replacement of flooring as well as a new bathroom suite.
There are alternative approaches. In this case a repair to the tile grout in the shower cubicle would prevent the moist environment needed for the fungus to grow; however, the fungus can remain dormant for as long as twenty years.