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A Homeowner's Guide The recent tragedy in San Francisco underscored the importance of combating this nemesis. Recently, a deck fell off of a building in San Francisco, killing and injuring many who were on it at the time that it fell. While the details of this tragedy are still being investigated, it seems clear that dry rot was involved. With that in mind, we consulted with our Home Repair Referral Service's premier expert on the subject of dry rot, Shanta Bulkin of Shanta Design/Build. What follows is Shanta's explanation of the subject, and what is involved in eliminating it from your home. Give us a call at Every year, homeowners spend billions of dollars on remodeling. Total renovations, extensive additions, or small changes can bring excitement, beauty, comfort and security to our lives. But unless done correctly, these projects can cause substantial financial hardship and mental anguish. Why? Because homeowners spend billions more dollars every year to repair the damage caused by moisture intrusion. Commonly called "dry rot," it occurs in both new and old dwellings that have not been adequately sealed. If proper weather protection measures are taken during original construction or remodeling, a sealing maintenance program is relatively painless and reasonable in cost. When ignored, omitted or overlooked, dry rot becomes a homeowner's worst nightmare. What is dry rot? The term "dry rot" is actually a misnomer. Generally, it is used to describe wood decay. More accurately, it is the decay of seasoned wood, caused by certain fungi capable of carrying water into the wood they infest. In advanced stages, the wood becomes crumbly and powdery, losing all of its structural integrity. Further, unless the avenue of moisture intrusion is sealed off and the infested wood and water concentration removed, the deterioration continues. Why is dry rot such a nemesis? First, dry rot is virtually invisible to the untrained eye until its advanced stages. Second, most homeowners have no way of determining if slipshod building practices were employed during the original construction. This is particularly true in newer dwellings where unsuspecting buyers would assume no dry rot could possibly have taken hold in such a short time. Third, natural phenomena (seismic movement, settling, compression, wind and flooding) can render a structure less than watertight How can dry rot be controlled? Like your skin, the exterior surface of your home is a very important membrane that needs to be carefully tended. This membrane is the combination of all exterior surfaces, such as roof, walls, and foundations; opening such as doors, windows, and skylights; attachments such as stairs, decks, patios, gutters and trim; penetrations for plumbing, wiring, drains; and any joints or intersections of two or more components. All require regular, concerted maintenance if the structure is to remain dry and sound. How do I know if my home needs moisture protection? The extent of the damage caused by moisture intrusion cannot be readily assessed without actually opening and thoroughly inspecting the interior structural condition of the concerned walls, decks or roof systems. Unfortunately, many contractors neither understand this process nor care to undertake it. How much time and money will it take to determine the extent of the dry rot problem? The cost and schedule for a major addition to a home can be made fairly accurately, well before any construction begins. In dramatic contrast, a fairly accurate dry rot repair cost cannot be estimated until the damaged parameters are thoroughly defined. The ensuing delay can be very unsettling to the homeowner, who is understandably more comfortable making financial arrangements in advance. Unfortunately, where dry rot is concerned, an estimate is more often a "guesstimate." If you have dry rot, it is nearly always safe to assume that the cost and delays created by undetected dry rot problems will be considerable. Shanta's company specializes in thoroughly assessing, estimating, and conducting moisture protection maintenance. They have successfully completed hundreds of jobs that required extensive dry rot repair. They are one of the premier construction firms with - Hardware Hotline June, 1996
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