How long does planning permission take in Northumberland?
A practical guide to how long planning permission usually takes in Northumberland, what can cause delays and simple steps…
Older Northumberland houses and farm buildings have a lot of timber built into them: beams, joists, lintels behind stone, wall plates and roof trusses. Where moisture gets in – through a leaking roof, a blocked gutter or cement pointing – timbers can rot, particularly where their ends sit in damp walls.
Finding the cause
Replacing rotten timber without stopping the moisture is a waste of money. We start by finding where the water is coming from and dealing with that, then assess how much timber has actually decayed. Often the damage is limited to the ends of beams and joists.
Repair options
- Splice repairs – cutting out the decayed end and joining in new, seasoned timber.
- Steel repairs – flitch plates or brackets to strengthen or support a weakened beam.
- Resin repairs – sometimes suitable for specific situations, following the engineer's design.
- Replacement – where a timber has decayed throughout, replacing like for like.
Structural repairs to beams and roof timbers often need an engineer's design and building control involvement. On listed buildings, repairs that keep original timber are usually preferred.
