Woule you go ahead with a house purchase if survey finds dry rot that is quite contained?

[Guadalupe]

I am going slightly mental about it now. We knew there would be a lot of problems, we are buying quite a big house at a very cheap price because it needs renovating and converting back from two flats/bedsits to one house.

There was HUGE interest in it because of the scarcity of such properties, massive for price, most original feature still there hidden away etc etc.

But - I joined the surveyor today, a specialist in old buildings and he said there was dry rot in the back but it was contained and he didn't think it was a reason not to buy it as we would be pulling a lot of that out anyway and then we can treat the rest and make sure its ventilated etc.

But, it is still DRY ROT and my sensible side (through pursed lips) says no, we will not buy such a property with such a risk, while my reckless side says, bugger it, it can be treated and it is big and a great chance to live in a big house and you love it and all the features are lovely and the sun streams in through patio doors and all the dcs can have their own room and I won't have any more bruised shins from lifting pram into weird tiny hall with no room and legs touching the people sitting opposite in an even tinier front room. Blah blah blah.

Excuse the gibbering, I have just come home and drunk two glasses of wine and dh can't speak to me as something dreadful is happening at work and he might be sent to Belgium in a minute and I actually feel quite maniacal.

WOULD, not woule, how annoying.

if you can afford to treat it, go fori t

we bought our house knowing it had woodworm

Well, it has that too, a little bit, and a bit of wet rot. (strained grin)

But dry rot is BAD NEWS isn't it?

er i dont know tbh

get a quote to have it treated?

Yes, we will I guess. But I wonder if I will lie there at night imagining it seeping through and growing it's flowering buds or whatever the bugger they call it and the house disintegrating around our ears.

dry rot is serious get a second opinion.

Dry rot is nasty but easily treated if contained. We had some at the back of house this summer. Our builder cut it all out and replaced timbers and sprayed. He wasnt phased by it at all. You can get specialist companies who will provide you with a certificate which lasts for several (? 10/20 years)

Dry rot can spread through the walls - it is a fungus and can have a "fruiting body" that releases spores. Ooh lovely! If it is contained then I suppose it will be easy to treat, but it can spread through the plaster and woodwork and has a characteristic cuboid look - ie the woodwork.

It sort of puts out tendrils (if you can call them that) that can travel through the whole building. A friend of ours used to have a holiday home that had dry rot and the floor collapsed - luckily not whilst they were there although it gave them a bit of a shock when they walked in the house. Would I buy a house with dry rot? I don't know if I would - you will only know the extent of the damage when it is all ripped out.

Dry rot needs certain conditions to grow - the right temperature and moisture levels. I think the advice is to remove 2m past the last point to ensure that the spores have not spread. SO if it is at the back of the house it would not spread to the front unless you had another source. Get a specialist company round and ask for their opinion.

Thanks all - yes it is lucky that it is contained at the back where we would be ripping stuff out anyway. I have since spoken to a carpenter and our friend who is a building conservation officer and they all say that if the surveyor says it's treatable then its not always as bad as you might think.

I'm still anxious about it though, and we'll definitely get a specialist to look at it and gets quotes on the work etc.

I suppose it will have to delay exchange and we might have to consider negotiating on price. I hate all that though. I expect it's why the buider is selling it though, he bought it at auction a month ago, either over extended himself or he didn't have a survey first and doesn't want to bother with rot. .

Fruiting body, thats it, not flowering buds.

I once rented a room in a place which had dry rot. The landlord had to have the whole kitchen out, including the floor, and most of the lounge floor, to get rid of it (it had been left for some time by the previous owners).
Not sure I'd buy a place with dry rot, but having said that, if it was my dream house, I'd at least get a quote for the work. Then, hopefully renegotiate on house price...

I would get 3 quotes in on how much it would cost to treat the Dry rot.

Make sure they are reputable companies that will give gaurantee for X years.

Then take the middle quote and use that amount to decrease the offer price.

If you are still interested in the purchase.

I've had dry rot in two houses and in both cases it has been treated, and has not spread after that. Go for it.

What's wrong with Belgium - apart from the fact that it is wet and cold here today?

Nothing's wrong with Belguim, scaryteacher, but I'd rather dh wasn't sent there atm while all this is going on! Very pleased to hear that yours was solved.

Honeybunnie - good idea, I think I will get more than one quote. I am still interested even if he won't negotiate on price though so it's tricky. Its already cheap and we will be doing work in that area. DH wants it cheaper though. It makes me stressed!

Paddington - if it was in the main part of the house we wouldn't bother as it would mean replacing all the good bits. I think it will be ok.