Non-standard construction
The sole plate of a timber frame is close to the ground and was not probed. What decay has not been confirmed?
Decay in the sole plate has not been confirmed. The sole plate of the timber frame sits close to the ground and was not probed, so softness, moisture and any rot inside the timber were not measured. A sole plate is the horizontal timber the frame stands on, and ground damp can reach it when the gap to soil is small. The survey recorded the level and the lack of a probe. It has not decided the plate is decayed, and it has not decided it is sound. Closeness to the ground is a risk note, not a diagnosis.
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?
Timber at the base of a frame fails from the outside in, or from the face you cannot see against the wall. A probe, or a small opening, is what lets someone feel whether the section is still solid. This visit did not do that, and it did not take moisture readings in the plate. Paint, a skirt board or soil piled against the face can hide the very timber in question. The survey stopped at the visible relationship between plate and ground.
If a lender or you need the plate understood, instruct a timber specialist to probe it and to say whether decay is present. Keep that report separate from this survey. Tell the lender the sole plate was close to the ground and was not probed, so decay is unconfirmed. Do not describe the frame as rotten, and do not describe the base as sound, on the strength of an unopened timber.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the sole plate probed, or only seen close to the ground?
- Have moisture readings been taken in the plate itself?
- Is closeness to the soil being written up as confirmed decay?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat decay in the sole plate as unconfirmed.
- Instruct a timber specialist if the plate must be probed.
- Do not tell a lender the frame base is rotten or sound.
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
Does a dry skirting inside the room clear the sole plate?
No. A dry skirting shows the face indoors. The sole plate can sit in the wall or against the ground where that skirting does not reach. This visit did not probe the plate. An internal finish is not a test of the frame timber. Leave decay unconfirmed until the plate itself is examined.
Was the whole timber frame opened, or only this base noted?
Only the relationship of the sole plate to the ground was noted, and even that timber was not probed. The survey has not opened the frame, has not checked studs above, and has not confirmed decay anywhere. Other frame questions would be further work. The gap in this note is the unprobed sole plate.