mushroom type growth in utility area of house by base of wall and skirting?

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chihiro

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In utility area of house by base of wall and also coming out of skirting board to a lesser extent. They look like large pasta shells.

Only in the house a few months. Bubbling of plaster started a few weeks after moving in (and a bad smell) and mushrooms very recently. I think it's caused by water from a small fire that the previous owners had a few weeks before we moved in. (We had the house surveyed before the fire and no problems then). They replaced a back door, repainted and invited us to inspect. All seemed fine at the time but having these problems now.

What kind of a tradesman should I get in to deal with this? Plasterer? Carpenter? Other?

In the meantime is there anything we can/should do to prevent it getting worse and spreading?

Pull off the mushroom growths before they release any mold spores?
Treat with some kind of antifungal treatment?
Try to dry out the area with a dehumidifier?
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

I think this is what it is "domicile cup fungi" (peziza domiciliana).
See pictures on this website:
[broken link removed]
Ours looks like the lighter coloured stuff in bottom picture and a bit more cup like than top picture. They vary in size from tea spoon to dessert spoon.

Think I'm turned off pasta for life:(
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

could be a water leak too, get an engineer to look

if a new house it could be a homebond claim
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

Check to see if there are spider weblike offshoots to them. Make very sure this is not dry rot!!! This occurs when wood has gotten wet and gone unnoticed, later when heating etc. is put on the fungus starts to grow!! We've had dry rot and it doesn't only affect wood, it goes into the plaster and even brick! The first sign is usually paint bubbling, or the plaster crumbling. It can be very serious and spreads rapidy. Hopefully you don't have it...there is another thread on it, I know, cos I started it and got some good advice.
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

I think this is the previous thread that liteweight refers to above although not too sure about which key post referred to therein :)
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

I have looked up pictures of dry rot before (whitish cobwebby/candy floss looking stuff) and don't see anything like that.

Think damp/fungus/bubbling plaster problem could be due to some or all of these:
-water used to put out a small fire
- lack of ventilation
- bad seal around bath so when taking a shower water seeping down the edges (just noticed this morning - pulled back the bath panel and plaster felt wet there so maybe dampness is going through to other side of wall i.e. utility where the fungus is)
- possible flat roof leak?

It's an old house (50s) and the problem is in the extension (circa 70s). Bathroom units and tiling in bathroom and utility look like they've only been put in in last few years. Surveyor's report carried out on property in Feb.
(small fire put out in the utility area after that report).

Is it a surveyor or some kind of structural engineer we need to get in?
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

Get in Protim. A specialist company that deal with damp penetration, identifying fungi etc. and providing solutions.
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

Get a dehumidifier. Run continuously and see the effect before you spend a fortune on builders/experts. Buy a cheap humidity meter and monitor.
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

I would agree that you should buy a dehimidifier, anyone with an older house should have one (at a low setting). I have also used Protim in the past and found them very helpful and not overly expensive.
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

As a retired landlord of student flats I have 35 years experience of 'damp'. Poor ventilation (especially if clothes are dried over radiators) and leaking showers are major culprits. Without seeing your bath seal it is difficult to know, but in my experience it needs extremely thorough workmanship to prevent leaks and I would say 80% or more of 'professional' bathroom upgrades will leak badly. Try getting a helper to hose down the wall with the showerhead whilst you look underneath the bath with a torch.

If it leaks I will try to advise you but will need more details.
 
Re: mushroom type growth - help!

You will need to get the room treated for the fungus growth. Hopefully it wont grow back, provided there is no dampness seeping through. Dampco in crumlin are very good also 01 4558425
 
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