Our damp and timber surveyor recently carried out a damp and timber survey and report on a 1900s Victorian terrace in Manchester with suspended timber floors to the ground floor.
On close inspection it was evident the lounge floor had movement in the corners which prompted further investigation. When pulling the carpet back there was clear evidence of an active woodworm infestation within the floorboards, when inspecting the floor joist below we also discovered woodworm in the floor joist.
The cause of this infestation was due to the high humidity with the subfloor void. In recent years the external ground level along the side of the property had been raised significantly blocking up the old Victorian subfloor air brick vents preventing air flow to the timbers.
Within our report we strongly advised telescopic vents are installed to allow much needed air flow and to prevent any further damage to the sub-floor timbers and the immediate treatment for the woodworm infestation is carried out.
Sub-floor air brick vents play a very important role in properties with timber constructed floors. Blocked vents will lead to high humidity with the sub-floor void which will create the perfect environment for unwanted nasties such as Woodworm and Dryrot.
