It’s a question that gets frequently asked by clients whenever they discover an unwanted fungal issue in their building. Although, Dry Rot and Wet Rot are the two of the most common forms of decay consultants come across, there is still confusion surrounding the differences between the two and what they mean for a buildings health. Read on to find out the difference between Dry Rot and Wet Rot. 
 
Wet Rot:
 
This form of decay is just how it sounds, wet. Unlike Dry Rot, Wet Rot requires a lot higher moisture content and usually occurs in places of a house that can be susceptible to water leakage. If this rot is left untreated, it can result in serious structural damage to the building as it causes the timber to become soft, spongey, dried up and decayed. While Wet Rot does tend to occur more than Dry Rot, it is less serious. In order to identify this issue within your property, you have to look out for black fungus growing on timber, soft and spongey timber and cracks or crumbling of the walls.
 
Dry Rot:
 
Dry Rot is the sneakier fungus of the two, although it doesn’t occur as often as Wet Rot , when it does, it likes to hide in places where property owners are unlikely to look, such as attics and under floors. These areas have poor ventilation and therefore leave room for moisture and in turn, fungus. In order to stop this fungus in its tracks you have to look for signs such as , a damp or musty odour, shrinkage and discolouring of wood, cracking of wood, rust red coloured spore dust and a white, fluffy cotton wool growths.
 
If any of these signs of Dry Rot or Wet Rot sound like something your building is experiencing you may require our help. Simply shoot us an email at info@bellmont.net so we can assess your building and work to get it back in its tip top shape!

 ​​At BellMont we embody this ideal by applying our knowledge and expertise to heritage buildings to ensure that they are structurally and physically equip to meet the heritage listing they have been awarded. Take a moment and let us introduce you to our (Town) Hall of Fame with projects at Sydney Town Hall and Erskineville Town Hall.

​In 2006, BellMont were approached by the City of Sydney to inspect the iconic and heritage listed, Sydney Town Hall Clock Tower, in particular the flag pole atop the establishment.
 
BellMonts initial inspection of the flagpole support structure uncovered signs of corrosion on the parallel flag channels (PFC) point of loading which was due to accumulated water in the base of the pole. BellMont advised the client to have the PFC repaired and restrengthened immediately.
 
In April, 2011, BellMont attended again to identify any structural concerns with the flagpoles support system. A simple push force revealed unwanted movement and misalignment that was due to inadequate tensioning of the bolt connection and wind loadings over time.  To resolve these issues and prevent any future unwanted movement and loose fixings, BellMont recommended that the client retighten the bolts and apply Loctite structural adhesive.
 
With these recommendations applied the flag is now flying high atop the Sydney Town Hall Clock Tower with a stable structure to support it.

​From 2005-2012, BellMont Façade provided expert consulting services to the Inner West Council for Glebe Town Hall. The building was constructed in 1938 and has served as a community centre for the past eighty years. Over time, this building experienced significant deterioration and cracking that required our assistance.
 
Assessment of the site uncovered a number of severe issues on both the northern and eastern elevation brick walls of the establishment.  Evidence of erosion and deterioration was evident throughout the building, compromising the structural integrity and interface of the walls and other elements of the structure. These defects, if left would pose threats to the safety of pedestrians and therefore required immediate attention.
 
To resolve these issues, our engineers recommended lintel replacements, removal and reinstatement of the toothed brickwork of the northern elevation and repointing of the northern wall. Along with these recommendations for the northern elevation, our engineers advised that the existing eastern brick wall be demolished and reconstructed with the installation of new brick ties.
 
The application of these expert solutions proved successful for our team and advantageous to the buildings health, bringing new life and stability to the site and safety assurance for visitors.

The rapid evolution of Sydney’s residential market has resulted in increased competition for developers, builders and insurers. In many instances, the speed of construction affects the profitability and viability of a project. It is the difference between a project proceeding professional and profitably or proceeding on the basis of savings being required during the construction period to make the project profitable.
As a result of the declining standard of construction, the Home Owners Warranty (H.O.W) Insurance initiative was introduced – to safe guard Home Owners against defective construction. This initiative has now been in place for over 15 years and continues to provide a safety net wherever possible to Home Owners.
Profitable projects allow for workmanship to be adequately supervised, whilst those projects where profitability is questionable inevitably result in lower levels of supervision and higher levels of defective work.
Bellmont, offer a team of experts capable of establishing the presence of building defects and providing expert reports on such issues. Our strength in Engineering Design, Project Management and Building Consultancy fields allow for the preparation of concise, professional reports identifying defects which are attributable to the Builder and therefore are considered to be subject to warranty.
Similarly, not all defects are attributable to the Builder and our experience with materials allows Bellmont to identify those issues which are related to maintenance and therefore deemed to be the Owners responsibility.
Bellmont have recently been involved in a series of Home Owners Warranty Claims which have successfully delivered reimbursements to the Owners ranging from $150,000 – $3,000,000.
These projects have involved rectification to internal wet areas, external roof decks, waterproofing and tiling, cavity flashing, façade painting, structural and roof repairs.  
 
Please do not hesitate to contact our office with any queries on similar issues.
 

Bellmont's knowledge of building construction is being put to use on Building Defect Claims. Bellmont's services within this sector of the Building Industry have increased dramatically, with Bellmont now being instrumental in settling many defect claims within Sydney and Brisbane.
With the change in Home Warranty requirements and the constantly evolving Building Code of Australia, it is a necessity to ensure that your Engineering and Building Consultant remains up to date with any alterations to the building code, in order to prepare a correct and concise building defect report.
At Bellmont, we aim to provide factual building defect reports so the Client has a clear understand of the reasonable potential claim amount—and can then establish for themselves, whether it is in their interest to pursue legal avenues— or to settle the claims with the Builder, CTTT or Insurance provider.
Our reports only document building defects in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome can be realised as quickly and economically as possible, saving unnecessary aggravation, confusion of the claim amount and most importantly, money for the relevant parties.