Help identify rot?

[matthussey]

Hi, I something on one of my rafters while inspecting something else and I think it may be dry rot but I'm unsure. It's difficult to reach but I've tried to take pictures. What I've found is a white ring that is on the rafter and the wall alongside, plus some dry greyish stuff on the rafter inside the ring. It may be difficult to see but the grey stuff is nowhere as big as the white circle.
My builder had a look at the roof and couldn't see any problem and thinks it's a past leak.
I managed to get hold of some of the grey stuff and recorded a couple of videos of it in my hand. It looks like pits of leaves or paper. There was also a sticky cotton like strand that was bendy.
Originally I thought it was a spider web.
When I got the stuff in my hand I thought it was maybe an old wasp or bee nest that has died. I thought the white ring might have been the left overs of something that had been sprayed on it maybe to kill it, and this is why it seems to be bigger than the grey part and on the wall as well as the wood.
Now I've seen some videos of dry rot and think it may be that instead.
Thanks for any help, identification or advice.

 

[AronSearle]

'dry' rot still requires moisture.

Give the timbers a good poke, are they sound.

Are they dry.

If so, don't worry about exactly what it is.

Does look more like an old wasp nest to me, hard to tell from pics.

 

[matthussey]

I know that dry rot requires moisture. It's just the size of the thing and the grey stuff that has me worried. Does dry rot grow in a white ring like that?
It's difficult to get to but I tried jabbing it with an electrical screwdriver firmly attached to the end of a pole and I couldn't get it to go into the wood. If it is dry rot I'd prefer not to jab it too much and risk collapsing the roof.

 

[matthussey]

Not sure if it helps but the dark section, which has the grey material like leaves and web on it is about 12 inches long.
I'm trying to find out what a decaying wasp nest looks like because it may be that. Does dry rot look like this at all?

 

[AronSearle]

A roof has to withstand heavy windloads, if you can make it fall down with a screwdriver, get out

Now go attack and poke it and see how sound the timber is.

It may be dry or wet rot, or vegitation growth, not really my area of expertese and the pictures are low quality.

Generally it doesnt reall matter, people focus to much on what it is. The answer is the same, is the timber decayed, is it wet.

 

[matthussey]

I can't really get to it. I've requested a free quotation from a damp specialist.

 

[AronSearle]

Looking into my crystal ball, I predict that they will recomend extensive n expensive treatment .

(no such thing as free anything, they get a commision).

 

[matthussey]

Looking into my crystal ball, I predict that they will recomend extensive n expensive treatment .

(no such thing as free anything, they get a commision).

I do too but what else am I supposed to do?

 

[matthussey]

I just found a tiny hanging cocoon/chrysalis/nest or something hanging in the loft. I've attached a photo of the stuff I found in the "rot" area and the new little thing I found. The stuff I originally found has white powder on it and what might be spider web, but I think overall they look like very similar materials. Maybe it was was a big wasp nest that got dusted, hence the white.

 

[AronSearle]

I do too but what else am I supposed to do?

pay a proffesional if you are too busy, don't waste your time with a freebie inspector as they will recomend preservative treatment regardless of the need.

I still say it looks like a wasps nest.

Also can't see how you are too busy to stab the timber with a screwdriver to see if it is sound.

 

[matthussey]

Hi, I didn't say I was too busy. I'm really bad with heights and lofts, plus it's under the low part of the roof so it's difficult for me to get to.
One of the "free" people got back to us and it turns out that he is not free however he said he thought it wasn't worth calling him out because it sounds like a nest and nothing like rot. To back this up I got some more of the material to compare with the new definite best I found and they are very much the same so I'm not quite confident that it is a decayed wasp nest.