The management and control of dry rot: a survey of practitioners' views and experiences

A questionnaire survey of building practitioners in Scotland was carried out with the aim of determining their experiences and views on the causes and treatment of dry rot. The practitioners' perceptions of the importance of key factors associated with the initiation, development and survival of the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans were determined and compared to scientific understandings of the organism and its effects in the built environment. Several potential misunderstandings amongst the practitioners were identified, particularly in their lack of understanding of the importance of proper building maintenance, as well as the perceived high importance of softwoods and relative non-importance of hardwoods and the low rating of the pH environment in dry rot attacks. The benefits, and drawbacks, of various dry rot treatment methods were also determined, with profiles of five treatment methods, which were rated in four specific categories, being produced. Analysis of these profiles revealed a potential interest in environmental control methods amongst the practitioners, though conventional techniques based on the removal of timber and chemical treatment remain the most widely used. Finally, a treatment strategy guide was developed from the responses, which highlighted the order of the 18 main features that the practitioners would consider in a dry rot treatment project. Of greatest concern was the apparent view that practitioners did not consider posttreatment building monitoring as being particularly important.