Age and type of house
The joist ends of an Edwardian porch are soft where they enter the wall and the tiles above are even. What decay is at the ends, not in the covering?
The decay is in the joist ends where they enter the wall, not in the tile covering above. The tiles are even, so the note is softened timber at the bearings, not a slipped or holed covering. Ends that go soft where they sit in masonry show that moisture has reached the timber at the wall. The survey has recorded those soft ends. It has not opened the wall to see how far the softness runs, and it has not condemned the tiles.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Porch joists on an Edwardian house often bear into the main wall or a dwarf wall, and those ends can stay damp long after the covering looks tidy. Even tiles can still throw water at a poor flashing or a wall head, and the timber then decays at the bearing while the roof face stays regular. Softness you can feel is the evidence. The survey did not cut the ends out and did not measure a remaining section. How much sound timber is left is still unknown.
Ask a carpenter to open enough of each bearing to see how far the soft ends extend. Tell the solicitor the defect is decay at the joist ends, with the tiles recorded as even. Do not let a roofing quote treat this only as a tile job. The survey has not specified a splice, a shoe or a new joist, and it has not said the porch roof is fit to load. The covering and the ends are different items.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are the joist ends soft where they enter the wall?
- Were the tiles above those joists even, rather than the defect?
- Has the wall been left unopened, so the length of decay is unknown?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the soft joist ends as the decay, not the even tiles.
- Ask a carpenter how far the softness runs into each bearing.
- Do not accept a tile-only quote for a timber-end defect.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the porch ceiling looks newly painted, has the decay gone?
No. Paint on the ceiling does not restore joist ends that are soft where they enter the wall. The survey recorded softness at the bearings and even tiles above. Decoration can hide a stain. It does not show how far the timber has decayed inside the wall, and the tiles were not the fault.
Should the whole porch roof come off because the ends are soft?
Not on this note alone. The tiles are even, and the decay recorded is at the joist ends. A carpenter may find a short soft length that can be dealt with at the bearing, or a longer one. The survey has not specified stripping the covering, and it has not cleared the ends.