Why is dry rot a problem in old Portuguese houses ?

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, How to . . ., Living in Portugal, low cost build, property problems, refurbishment November 25, 2012 0 comment

Why is dry rot a problem in old Portuguese houses ?

Although dry rot is a problem in old Portuguese houses its not usually the first thing that you notice when you start to refurbish or remodel an old house. Woodworm infestation is the first thing that you usually see. Then you will see wet rot problems and finally dry rot. This is mainly because the conditions where dry rot thrives are dark places with no moving air such as inside roofs, cellars, between floors and ceilings, under wooden floors on ground floors and a modern favorite inside suspended ceilings.

Because these places are not normally accessed by people they don’t notice the infestation. You may smell a musty smell sometimes but put that down to the drains or whatever.

Dry rot requires less assess to dampness than wet rot and as it has the habit of spreading it can find more sources of moisture if you happen to fix a leaking drain for instance. The rot doesn’t move from were its attacking your house it just sends out tentacles (war of the words like) finds a new area and starts growing there as well.

When you find dry rot you must act because this rot likes to spread out and if not eradicated properly it will spread to other areas of your home.Why is dry rot a problem in old Portuguese houses ?
If you want to read up on dry rot and fully understand the problems that it causes I recommend this site http://homepage.ntlworld.com/g.mcgill/dryrotdeveloping.html

Useful for learning about it but if you suspect or know that you have dry rot in Portugal contact www.casteloconstruction.com Skype name castelo or info@casteloconstruction.com

We can give you an estimate for tackling the problem and eradicating the dry rot from your home.

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About Castelo Construction Lda

Castelo Construction Lda are builders in Central Portugal. We have 12 years’ experience of working with and delighting clients in Portugal. Tel 00351 927168247 or kelvin@casteloconstruction.com If you need an English speaking builder for renovation or new build work we will provide free estimates, fixed prices and carry out your work to a very high standard. Many of our clients are not in the country full time so rely on our regular photographic updates and written reports. They are always surprised when they make inspection visits. New Construction and Refurbishment of Portuguese Property It’s exciting for both our team and of course our clients to mark out on the earth the site of a new home. We will have been with them during the design process and have spoken to the architect many times so we will be comfortable with what we are about to do. For many clients, this stage is a little daunting as it’s hard to see without experience just where the house is going to be in relation to other things on the property. Once the foundations are dug out the house normally looks smaller than they thought, As the pillars and foundation wall start to go you get a much better idea of scale. You can see with your mind’s eye the location of the kitchen, bedrooms and so on. Once the walls are up and the first floor is in place the rooms start to looks smaller again (something to do with the light absorbing properties of the bricks) once the walls are plastered the rooms look a lot larger and it starts to feel more like the home our clients imagined building. As the build progresses we are involved with many specialist subcontractors and it is our job the get them on site at the right time so that the trades do not overlap and time is not wasted. Once the roof is on and tiled it is traditional in this area to have a dinner on site. Everyone who is involved in the build is invited to share a suckling pig dinner with local bread, oranges and of course wine. This is a great way for the clients to enjoy some local hospitality and meet the craftsmen who are building their new home. We also invite the near neighbors so that they get a chance to see what’s going on (when the house is at a very basic stage) and it gives our clients a relaxed opportunity to make their acquaintance. As we always accompany our clients to choose, kitchens, tiles, bathroom fittings or whatever they want. We can help with translation and of course negotiation! As the house is coming to completion we always have them professionally cleaned so that when we hand over the keys it feels more like a home than a building site. 2 months after the house is finished we are back to check for any small faults that may need attention and of course we are available to help and advise should that be needed. Central Portugal builders

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