|
Posted by Steven Banks on August 14, 2006, 11:06 pm
Kevin,
Thank you so much, your speculation seems right on. One of my customers said
I should check the floor joists also by going in the crawlspace. Looks like
any FUN home improvements will have to wait... :-(
Thanks again,
Steven
>
>> I was tearing down a free standing deck (not connected to house), in the
>> attempt to eventually replace it. After tearing away some of the rotted
>> wood, I found some damage to the wood portions of the foundation.
>
> Looks like poor installation of flashing on the house. Doesn't matter
> that it wasn't connected, it looks like it was close enough to the
> house to put and keep water right against the house.
>
>> 1. In order to get it repaired, do I call a Home Inspector to get an
>> unbiased opinion, or start calling people specializing in foundations?
>
> Home inspectors are for people buying houses. The unbiased opinion they
> would give a buyer would simply be "yup, that looks rotten, better call
> somebody who can help you". And a home inspector will typically know
> nothing about how to repair such a problem, beyond maybe a very
> ballpark estimate ("hmmm, that looks expensive, maybe a few grand") and
> phone numbers of his buddies in the contracting business.
>
>> 2. It looks like it is more than just scraping away and treating the
>> lumber
>> with a preservative.
>
> Yup. Looks like you need it torn out and replaced.
>
>> 3. What would be the correct term for this portion of the foundation?
>
> The concrete part is the foundation. I think I see two separate boards
> sitting on the concrete -- a smaller one in better condition on bottom,
> then the rotten thicker one on top. If so, the board resting on the
> concrete is the "sill plate" (modern) or "mud sill" (old fashioned
> term). Looks like you might have a sill plate that is fine -- perhaps
> it was pressure treated lumber. The board on top would probably be a
> "header" or "floor joist" -- a 2x6 or 2x8 laid on edge on top of the
> sill plate, and looks totally rotten. Expect more rot behind and
> underneath it, too.
>
>> I tried to take some photos of it so that you can get an idea of the area
>> and extent of damage. Any help and/or recommendations are appreciated.
>
> Ask friends for recommendations on general contractors, esp. those that
> do repair work (as opposed to new construction). Some foundation
> specialists might be able to help too, although I think many (at least
> around here) mostly just stick to concrete and cement work.
>
> This will not be a cheap repair necessarily, so get a few quotes if you
> can. They have to see it in person to make an intelligent estimate, but
> offer to email them the photos to get a ballpark idea of how much it
> might cost.
>
> Good luck,
> -Kevin
>
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap