What are the signs that my home's exterior has dry rot?

Exteriors
2

Dry rot could be visible and in most cases they are hidden. So, even before attempting to look for signs of dry rot - it is best to know "where’ to look for them in your house.

The most common spots where you can find dry rot are the following (inside and outside):

  1. Around windows and doors. (frames)
  2. At the edges of your roof attached to the gutter.
  3. Porches/decks.
  4. Trim-exterior
  5. Wood siding around the base of your house.
  6. On concrete foundation - the wood that sits on top of it.
  7. Wood situated near, and exposed to a prolonged or longer plumbing leak.
  8. Shower walls.
  9. Floor around the base of shower.
  10. Areas where caulking was used as joint sealant (exterior and interior).
  11. Roof and areas directly below the roof line.

These are the common things you need to look for;

  1. Most of the time the color of the timber/wood damaged by dry rot is brown, surface is brittle and
    can crumble on your hands when touching it.
  2. Patches of fine concentrated orange/brown dust.
  3. Fine strands of grey in wood.
  4. Grey to pure white discoloration.

All you need is a pair of discriminating eyesight and flashlight (to see clearly), and a screw driver to give wood a good poke. A binocular might also give a very good up-close visual.

As a rule of thumb - wood should not be soft when you press on it.

3

Hi Richard,

There are tell-tale signs of dry rot in your property. Try to see the color of the wood. If the wood is damaged by dry rot you will definitely see that the color is brown, surface is brittle and can even crumble on your hands when you hold it. Look for large concentrated patches of fine orange/brown, greyish fine strands attached to the wood, and also grey to white pure discoloration.

If you are only concerned about dry rot at the exterior of your house, you should check frames of your windows and exterior door, exterior trim, wood siding at the base of your house, and any wood on top of a concrete foundation. If there is a plumbing leak for an extended period of time, make sure to check the wood nearest to it. Also, look at the edges of your roof where the gutters are attached. Check for any discoloration on the fascia below the roof line.

Wood is not supposed to be soft when you press on it.
Hope this helps.