woodworm..but not as you know it Jim!!!!

**shirlthegirl43** · 16-02-2009, 01:08 PM

Yikes

**SarzWix** · 16-02-2009, 01:09 PM

Gosh!! That's fairly well munched!!

**zazen999** · 16-02-2009, 01:16 PM

Wow

They was hungry.

**smallblueplanet** · 16-02-2009, 01:49 PM

Holy moly!

Pity though, an RSJ just won't look as good...

...

**bobleponge** · 16-02-2009, 02:00 PM

Nicos
I shall have to ask a very indescreet question, how much did it cost to replace?
Also, are you having a new beam put back in or using modern stuff?
I have a beam about the same width but about 7 metres long that will need replacing in the near future.
How do they do it as well? Must be a lot of acro's about the place?

**Nicos** · 16-02-2009, 02:28 PM

We've not replaced the whole beam as it would have been much more expensive- as the roof would have also needed supporting!

Today is the 5th working day.
Acro's all over- one man job apart from today

Easily found a 5m original piece of oak-yup it too had live woodworm- but it was sound and it's now treated with Zylophene(?sp?) 3 tins so far....

Bedroom floor had to be dug out too just above beam- it had fireproof insulation 10cm deep!

Cost??...well we're waiting to see-the cost of a 6m beam would be E300 if that's a guide Bob??Plus labour and new bits of wood that the ceiling joists rest on.Plus treatment of wood.
My guess is just under E2,000- will let you know!

**Alice** · 16-02-2009, 02:42 PM

Jings ! That bit sure needed replacing.

**Nicos** · 16-02-2009, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by Alice View Post

Jings ! That bit sure needed replacing.

Yup- sure did!!!
You could see a huge crack in the side of the beam when we bought the house- with bits of dust dropping to the floor. The previous owners had built a support wall below it, but we had no idea it was THAT bad!!!

Oh well- we wanted to take down the wall and open up that room ( it's sort of a second house attached to the main house)as it had once been a living area/kitchen and had been converted to a bedroom.
So no surprise other than the size of the hole!!!
Very excited cos we'll have a room 18ftx18ft to convert back into a living area

**Hilary B** · 16-02-2009, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by Nicos View Post

We're having one of the main beams of the house replaced as it was badly cracked and had active woodworm along about 2/3 of it.
It's 30x30x6000 cm long...and 17thC oak....have a look at this!!!!

There has been moisture getting in there! Woodworm can't make much inroads on truly dry timber (especially oak). Usual trigger is inadequate ventilation.....

OH looked at picture and said "that's big holes for woodworm, might be Death Watch Beetle, but the holes look too round".

DWB tend to make oval holes, at least the ones we get in Britain do.

**SueA** · 16-02-2009, 03:20 PM

Wow, that must have been a big woodworm Nicos!

It sounds like an expensive job, can you be sure that the woodworm haven't got into any other beams or are you having everything treated anyway?

**Hilary B** · 16-02-2009, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by SueA View Post

Wow, that must have been a big woodworm Nicos!

It sounds like an expensive job, can you be sure that the woodworm haven't got into any other beams or are you having everything treated anyway?

If it turns out to be DWB, treatments are not as reliable as they are against woodworm (any possibility of termites???)

**Flummery** · 16-02-2009, 03:55 PM

Cor! Don't let 'em near your wooden eggs!

**HayleyB** · 16-02-2009, 03:57 PM

Originally posted by Nicos View Post

We're having one of the main beams of the house replaced as it was badly cracked and had active woodworm along about 2/3 of it.
It's 30x30x6000 cm long...and 17thC oak....have a look at this!!!!

Jeepers, that's an alien invasion........

**Nicos** · 16-02-2009, 04:05 PM

Nope- very few termites in the North...although there have been a few incidents of it apparently with global warming!

It's certainly woodworm- the builder showed me a piccie of the lavae and adult- and yes...I never knew there was more than one type of woodworm!The holes are about 1/2cm in diameter- I think I have a photo of the grub my OH managed to prize out of the wood.

Moisture? well- the beam had been repaired about 70 years ago with a metal brace...and between WWII and 1980's the property had been left to rot- so I bet the roof must have leaked!

DWB...hmm- I was worried about that at first, but the builder said it's definitely not- oval holes as you say!
And yes- the whole of that part of the house needs treating before the end of April as that's when any adults will fly!( probably the rest of the house with younger timbers!)

You can get 30litre barrels of the treatment fluid to spray on....goodness knows what that will cost - cos 5litres costs about E38

(cheaper than replacing the wood though eh??

)

As I said- it was an expected job

I'll check if there's a photo in Picasa.....

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woodworm..but not as you know it Jim!!!!

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