Buying a house with woodworm and damp - avoid like the plague?

[DamnProt]

Been househunting for ages, desperate to move as we are very cramped, but been waiting for a house we love.
One's just come on the market, it ticks all of our boxes. Except the home report has detailed:
"High damp meter readings" - roof and internal walls
"Infestations of active woodworm in the roof timbers and floor timbers".

We haven't actually been inside, we view Saturday. We would of course get quotes for remedial work to factor in our offer, but I was wondering quite how much of a headache it all is, will treatments fix it permanently or could we continue to have issues?

Very few properties come up in this particular area, I really want to move there, the property is affordable factoring in a certain amount of expenditure on the renovations, and buying another property in move-in condition in this area would cost a lot more, and they simply don't come on the market often anyway, hence why I am considering taking on the woodworm and damp! But of course it is a big concern.

Any stories gratefully appreciated.

Woodworm wouldn't bother me, easy to treat, though if all your roof and floor timbers are rotten, that's a different matter...Damp and woodworm go hand-in-hand.

Damp... It depends, there's a lot of rubbish written about damp. It depends on how old your house is, where the damp's coming from etc. it may mean the house needs eg, new guttering and repointing. Or it may mean it's been freshly painted (really, our first house's survey read high for damp, it turned out it was because it had been recently decorated).

Neither would automatically put me off but the damp is much more of an issue and that's what I'd be trying to get to the bottom of.

I've had a treatments done for woodworm and damp and it was pretty straight forward. I think any house over a certain age is likely to have woodworm. In our case they lifted the flooring and applied a spray and gave a 25 year guarantee. We were replacing carpets anyway so it didn't cause much disruption. It might depend on the state of the timber though - a specialist will tell you more. Our damp problem was also relatively easy to fix - a leaky gutter was fixed followed by a rot prevention / mould type treatment. However it can, of course, be very different. I think we spent around 2K getting both problems fixed.

As far as I know it's straightforward.

Is someone living there?

It's not the treatment for woodworm that is expensive, but potentially repairing the damage that they have done. They can eat right through roof and floor timbers so you need to investigate the extent of the damage.

Ok, positive, I was expecting horror stories. I am encouraged.
The house is over 100 years old, and I believe the owner does live there, as he is showing us round on Saturday.
Thanks for the information. If we like it when we view, we will get some quotes in for all the work and bid accordingly.

Damp meter readings are not necessarily very reliable. Get a builder you can trust and go round it with them.

Thank you, if we like it on the weekend, we will indeed go round with a builder. Will any old builder do, I should I try and source a damp and worm specialist.

My gut feeling is that the house is damp and riddled as per the survey, I just get the impression that the owner is elderly and has neglected the property for some time. He must have owned it for years as it is not showing as having sold on zoopla since their records began. When did records begin? Not sure, but I think it's been a while.

Sorry for typos and lack of punctuation!

speaking from recent experience, these types of problems often occur because of a lack of maintenance. So make sure you have enough in your budget to cover other unexpected costs.

You need a builder who understands old properties, as they all have damp/timber issues to some degree.

Good luck!

Great, thanks so much for everyone's input.

And thank you for the good luck wishes!

I bought a Victorian terrace with woodworm & damp issues years ago. Just got a local company in to treat woodwork, wasn't expensive and I had it arranged to be done asap so it was done before I moved in.

Damp - so the house had damp readings in various places, but mostly as a result of the house not being adequately heated or aired. The old lean to was tanked (again not expensive) but I left the rest alone. When I came to sell 2 years later, I specifically asked the surveyor to take readings in those spots. She confirmed that readings were fine & that it wasn't sufficient to put in the report.

So ime don't run from it. Get a decent survey done and raise these points with the surveyor, ask them to specifically look at roof timbers/joists for the extent of damage, if any.

Good luck!

Thanks, onedogandababy. Ooh, I am feeling all enthused and positive and hopeful now!

I am pretty sure as you can be that I will really love it when we go to see it. I just hope the damp and woodworms put everyone else off so there isn't a bidding war and we can get it for a good price. :)

Are you in Scotland DamnProt? If so your solicitor may be able to recommend a timber specialist. They'll have been involved with getting these things looked into and will know who to ask.

Hi, Bronte, yes, in Scotland. Haven't got a solicitor yet didn't think it was worth getting one til we found a property? Thanks for the idea, I will ask when we find a solicitor.

Don't get a damp proofing company around, they will simply sell you their product- often unnecessary and expensive. You need to get a specialist damp surveyor, independent, to have a proper look.

Good luck!

If you don't hear a house properly damp readings rise quickly, older people cant do the basic jobs like cleaning the gutters and drains. These two will also add to damp and the woodworm is a given, that is just a treatment and maybe replacing a few timbers.
What is your contingency? Can you afford/do you want to do the big jobs like roofs, floors etc?
Get a builder that a friend recommends to have a look, as mentioned above damp companies will make sure that you need them

If you don't heat
a house properly damp readings rise quickly, older people cant do the basic jobs like cleaning the gutters and drains. These two will also add to damp and the woodworm is a given, that is just a treatment and maybe replacing a few timbers.
What is your contingency? Can you afford/do you want to do the big jobs like roofs, floors etc?
Get a builder that a friend recommends to have a look, as mentioned above damp companies will make sure that you need them

We just sold a house and had to get the woodworm treated as the buyers mortgage insisted on it.
I would guess the seller would have to treat it ? It is not expensive.

If you are getting a mortgage it may be a condition that the seller treats it.

Just adding another voice to what others are saying.

You need to know the extent of any damage done by woodwork, especially to roof timbers and it would be good to identify the source of the damp. I wouldn't be ruling it out until you have that concrete information. You can treat woodworm yourselves, there is nothing to it, it just involves chemicals so you need protection and obviously don't do it if you are pregnant. Good luck!

get a damp and timber specialist to do a proper inspection prior to exchange. although the problem is possibly minor, you need to know what you are getting yourself into. as others have said, if you are getting a mortgage, your lender may well insist on it as a condition of the mortgage. even if they don't, you would be well advised to know what work you will need to do once you have purchased.

remember, anything that is a problem now will remain a problem when you come to sell, unless you rectify it.

Thank you all so much for the advice, really appreciated.

Now my how long is a piece of string question!
Say we get a specialist in for the damp and woodworm, and it is worst case scenario (timbers need replacing, walls - what? what happens to thoroughly damp walls?)- anyone any clue at all what it would cost to fix a three- bed one-public room house in Scotland? Just a rough idea? £5k, £10k, £20k, £50k?

Oddsocks, our contingency is what we will have to factor in when making an offer, so not sure at all yet re figures. I would rather budget now for having to replace flooring and the roof, and have a safety net for any other problems that may arise with an old house. That's it though, we don't want it to be a money pit forever! How to tell???! I don't mind going in with eyes open that there is damp and woodworm, just don't want to be dealing with more complications forever.

A quick update, sorry for delay.
We loved the house. We will be making an offer. My main worry is being outbid! It was lovely. Will be booking a surveyor, but whatever comes back, as long as it is structurally sound, we want it!

Good luck