Owing to their construction, many difficulties are experienced in trying to assess the presence of dampness, fungal decay and insect infestation in Georgian houses. In areas where no visible signs of decay or infestation can be found, the possibility of incipient decay or infestation cannot be ruled out. Fungal decay can be present behind linings and panelling, and can remain unseen until it emerges on a visible surface, when it may be in a very advanced stage, having affected timber over a wide area.
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Properties of this period and type were usually built without a damp-proof course, and relied upon lath and plaster, or timber panel linings on timber battens, to cover the brickwork and provide a dry surface. The walls are normally of solid construction, usually thicker than modern brickwork, and often contain timber bonding plates, timber fixing grounds and timber lintels over door and window openings. Flooring is usually constructed with timber floorboards which may be held together with steel tongues or steel or oak dowels. They are laid on floor joists and beams, which are normally built into the walls and rest on a timber plate. |
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Ceilings are sometimes formed on the underside of the floor joists, but occasionally they are affixed directly to the boards, leaving the joists exposed. More often, however, there is a separate ceiling joist structure below the level of the floor joists. It is not unusual to find a large quantity of debris, sawdust, etc. in the void between the floor and the ceiling.
When the ground floors are built with timber they are often found to be over cellars with the timbers built into the walls. As they are at or below ground level, they are usually damp. When there is no cellar, the sub-soil is generally close and there is little ventilation.
Commonly roofs are covered with slates or tiles laid on a close-boarded timber lining over the rafters, with brick parapets at the edges, and box or valley gutters formed with lead on a timber boarded framework. It is usual for the rainwater goods to have large hoppers and down pipes built into the wall structure, so defects are often not visible until significant escaping water has caused damage to the surrounding masonry and adjacent timbers.
