Timber decay and woodworm
A fruiting body was seen in a cupboard and the adjacent floor was not opened. What spread beyond the cupboard is unmapped?
The spread of the fungus beyond the cupboard is unmapped. A fruiting body was seen inside it, and the adjacent floor was not opened, so the survey has not shown how far growth runs under the boards or into the joists. The fruiting body shows a fungus in that cupboard. It is not a plan of the outbreak. The inspection stopped at what could be seen without opening the floor next to it.
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?
A fruiting body is the part you can see, not the whole growth. Fungus can run past the timber that looks worst, but this survey has not had the species identified in a laboratory, and it has not followed anything into the floor because the floor stayed down. Guessing a whole-house attack from one body in a cupboard would over-read the visit. Ignoring the floor because the room looked tidy would under-read it. The limit is the unopened floor.
Ask a timber specialist to identify the fruiting body and to open enough of the adjacent floor to see the spread. Tell the solicitor a fruiting body was in the cupboard and the floor beside it was not opened. Do not treat the surface and call the timber dealt with, and do not replace the cupboard alone. The survey has not specified a repair and it has not cleared the joists. The unmapped part is whatever lies beyond the cupboard.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was a fruiting body seen in the cupboard?
- Was the adjacent floor left unopened?
- Is the spread beyond the cupboard therefore unmapped?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the fruiting body as local evidence, not a map of spread.
- Ask a timber specialist to identify it and open the adjacent floor.
- Do not replace only the cupboard and call the timber resolved.
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 cupboard timber is removed, has the spread been found?
No. Removing the cupboard deals with what you can already see. The adjacent floor was not opened, so the spread beyond the cupboard is still unmapped. The fruiting body may be only the visible part. A specialist needs to see the joists and boards next to it. The survey has not cleared them.
Does one fruiting body prove dry rot in every floor?
No. It proves a fruiting body in that cupboard. The survey has not named the species from a laboratory and has not opened the adjacent floor, so it has not mapped a house-wide attack and it has not ruled one out. Other floors were not given this finding. The honest limit is the unopened floor beside the cupboard.