Timber decay and woodworm
The door sill is soft and the frame above it is hard. Which piece of timber has the survey called decayed?
The door sill is the piece the survey has called decayed. It is soft, which is the usual hand finding where wet rot has broken the timber down, and the frame above it is hard. The survey has not called the frame decayed. Wet rot follows timber that stays wet, and a sill takes the splash a frame above it may shed. Softness in the sill is the decay note. Hardness in the frame is why that piece was left out of it. The survey has not cut the sill open to map how far the softness runs.
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?
Wet rot is a breakdown of timber that stays damp, and it leaves the wood soft, dark or crumbly where the moisture sits. A door sill is that place. It is nearly level, it catches rain, and it is close to the ground. The frame rising from it can still be firm if the wet has not climbed. The survey separated the two by feel. It did not send the timber for a laboratory test. The decayed piece named in the note is the sill.
Ask a joiner or a timber specialist to confirm the sill and to say how much of it needs cutting out, as a look separate from this report. Tell the solicitor the frame was hard and was not the decay note. The Property Care Association describes what wet rot looks like in timber that stays wet. This survey has not written a repair specification and has not promised the frame will remain sound. Keep any later quote tied to the soft sill unless a further inspection finds more.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the soft door sill the timber you called decayed?
- Was the frame above it hard, and therefore left out of that note?
- Did you leave the full extent of the softness unopened?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the door sill as the decayed timber.
- Ask a joiner to confirm the sill rather than to condemn the frame on this note.
- Do not read hardness in the frame as a promise it will stay 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
If the paint on the sill is intact, can the timber still be decayed?
Yes. Paint can bridge soft wood. The survey called the sill decayed because it was soft, not because the coating had broken. Intact paint does not put the frame into the note, and it does not clear the sill. The decay finding is the softness the survey could press, under whatever finish is still there.
Should the whole frame be cut out because the sill is soft?
Not on this note. The frame above the sill was hard and was not called decayed. The survey has not specified cutting it out. A later joiner may find that softness has reached a joint, but that inspection has not happened. This report stops at the soft sill.