Please tell me I don’t have rotten bathroom and bedroom joists 😢

[D3B4]

The bathroom in my house was made by splitting a large bedroom in two, so all that is dividing the bathroom and the bedroom is a stud wall, rather than a load bearing wall.

I have a shower-over-bath and the tap end is at this stud wall.

I’ve just realised that the plywood board under the bath/shower is absolutely rotten.

I’ve investigated further in the bedroom, and while the carpet on the other side of the stud wall isn’t wet, when you get close to it, it absolutely STINKS of damp/mould. I haven’t noticed it in the bedroom before as there was a bed against that wall.

So now I am worried. For the plywood board under the bath to be rotten is one thing, but does the fact I can smell it at carpet level from the other side of the stud wall mean that the rot has penetrated the joists and gone under the wall?

Wet doesn’t necessarily rotten. You need to pull everything up and dry it out for a few days to really assess what’s going on. Get a dehumidifier if you don’t have one already.

Oh gosh I really hope so.

Would I have to pull out the whole bath or would the side panel be ok to let it air a bit?

The smell will surely be travelling under the floorboards?

I’m wondering if there’s a leak in the bath drain pipe or the taps etc. Heavens knows how long it’s been going on.

Now I have removed the bed from the shared wall and done some poking around in the carpet, it’s really smelly. It’s permeating the whole room!

I’m praying it is just the smell travelling and not the damp!

Has the sealant failed at the tap end? Get a plumber to come and see where the water is coming from. Ours told us sealant needs redoing every few years. He wasn’t touting for business, it’s something we could do ourselves.
Once you know where the water is coming from you can see how big a job it’s going to be to put right.

Start with the side panel in the bathroom and the carpet and underlay along the shared wall in the bedroom. Get a dehumidifier running. It’s going to smell awful while everything’s up and drying but after a few days it will be much better.

Have you already booked a plumber? If not do that also, you need to find the issue.

Thanks all, I have a plumber coming next week. Just hoping so much it’s a cosmetic issue.

I've just had my bathroom done. The joists were wet and mouldy under the floor. The previous owner had bodged the bathroom. They dried out quickly over a few days and my plumber believed there would be no lingering problem. I hope you will get the same good news.