Fungal growth – wet rot and dry rot are both caused by fungus, but they look different. Wet rot fungus is more localised and is less extensive, while dry rot often shows as white strands, white or grey cloud-like structures, and mushroom-like fruiting bodies with red spore dust.
Strategies to prevent recurrence include improving ventilation, reducing moisture, and potentially using antifungal treatments to protect wood. With the right approach and timely action, a house can be rescued from dry rot and restored to a safe, stable condition.
You cannot ``treat'' dry rotted wood. You have to cut out and replace the timber with treated timber PLUS remove the source of moisture PLUS make sure ventilation is adequate. Have you floorboards on joists? If so you will have to make sure there is ventilation under the floor (normally airbricks on the outside wall).
Getting rid of the infected materials is the first step in your dry rot treatment programme. You will need to contact a professional. Depending on the extent of your dry rot problem, you might need to remove a lot of structural timber from your home, so it's best to have an expert on hand.
Dry and wet rot will be excluded from most home insurance policies. The exception might be if the rot is caused by a specific incident, like a leak, that's covered by the policy. Check your home insurance policy carefully to see what's covered.
For minor cases of wood rot, you can simply call a local handyman to repair it for you. For major cases of wood rot, assistance from a GC is necessary, especially for rotting windows and doors.
Fungicides to defeat brown rot include: baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, boron solutions, ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, vinegar, etc. Since the dry rot fungus requires an acidic environment from pH 0 to 5.5, certain of these fungicides work because they change the pH.
The average dry rot repair cost is $1,400, but it can range between $500 and $3,000, depending on the extent, size, and location of the damage in your home. The average dry rot repair cost is $1,400, though homeowners can spend as little as $150 or as high as $10,000.
The Dry Rot Stick or Sensor allows accurate diagnosis of Dry Rot and prevents Wet Rots from being misdiagnosed as Dry Rot - the stick simply changes colour from Blue to a blotchy yellow where active Dry Rot is present.
The Cost of Dry Rot Treatment: Dry rot, a prevalent and destructive issue in UK buildings, leads to an estimated £150 million in damages annually. In 2024, the average cost of dry rot treatment in the UK ranges from £1,000 to £5,000, with the potential to exceed £20,000 in severe cases.
Top tip - Finding under-floor pipes and cables
If you're lucky, you'll find any pipes and cable runs already marked on the floorboards. If not, go over the area of floor you want to work on with an electronic pipe and cable detector.
Common signs of rotten floorboards. If you are not certain if your wooden floorboards need to be replaced, there are a few signs you need to pay attention to. Uneven or soft wood floors, rising damp or musty smell are early indicators that you might be dealing with rotten wood.
The dry rot repair process has six steps: Remove Dry Rot, Spray Fungicide, Apply Wood Hardener, Replace Damaged Wood with Epoxy, Sand Surface Smooth, Protect with Exterior Acrylic Primer and Paint.
Eventually, dry rot - if left untreated - will cause weakening of the timber, which could compromise the structural integrity of the house. It's absolutely essential to fix the problem before serious damage to life and property occurs.
Due to the severity of the issue, wood rot treatment sprays won't work for the treatment of dry rot. Treatment should be carried out by a professional, and the cost can be determined from one of our site surveys.
Like mold, dry rot is not generally covered in a standard homeowner's policy. However, like mold, there are some exceptions to this rule, depending on the cause of the dry rot.
While dry rot spores are not harmful themselves, a house with dry rot isn't a pleasant place to live in, especially with the smell of damp soil filling the air. The damp conditions pose a health hazard for infants, older people, and those with respiratory diseases.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for dry rot outside of early detection. And with how destructive acid is on older goods and collectibles, there likely won't ever be one.
When it comes to repairing dry rot, the cost can vary greatly depending on a few factors. The extent of the damage, the affected location, and the professional you hire to do the job, to name a few. For minor cases of dry rot, such as small patches on wood siding or window trim, it typically costs around $1,500-$2,800.
While it's rare for a house to collapse entirely from dry rot, the possibility can't be ruled out, especially if the problem has been ignored for a long time. The real issue is when dry rot affects important parts of the home, like load-bearing beams and structural supports.
I am a home inspector in California and have been told by my attorney that in California it is not legal for home inspectors to probe wood for dry rot etc. and the InterNACHI sop's state the inspection is a “non-invasive visual inspection”.