Homeowner answers
Rot, Termites & Repair
Finding and fixing wood rot and termite damage before it spreads.
Showing 1 to 30 of 40 answers, newest first RSS feed
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How much weight can my deck hold? Hot tubs, planters and outdoor kitchens
A residential deck is designed for people and furniture, which the code expresses as a modest load spread evenly across the whole surface, not for heavy…
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Are my gutters and downspouts causing the wood rot on my house?
Often, yes, in one of three ways. A clogged or sagging gutter overflows onto the fascia behind it and down the wall below. A downspout that ends at the…
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Do California's balcony inspection laws apply to my single-family home?
No. SB 721 and SB 326 apply to buildings with three or more dwelling units, either rental buildings or condominium associations. A single-family home, a duplex…
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How is rotted trim around my garage door repaired?
Garage door side trim and jambs rot at the bottom because they sit on or just above the concrete apron, get hit by driveway splash and hose water, and have a…
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What does SB 326 require of my condo HOA for balconies and decks?
SB 326, now Civil Code Section 5551, requires condominium associations in buildings with three or more units to have a licensed structural engineer or…
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My fence rails are rotting but the posts seem fine. Can just the rails be replaced?
Yes. Fence rails are the easiest part of a wood fence to replace, and sound posts are the expensive part you want to keep. Rails rot at their ends, where the…
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What is California's SB 721 balcony inspection law, and does it apply to my building?
SB 721, now Health and Safety Code Section 17973, requires owners of buildings with three or more dwelling units to have their wood-supported balconies, decks…
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One of my pergola posts is rotting. Can it be replaced without taking the pergola down?
Usually yes. A single rotted pergola or patio cover post can be replaced with the structure standing, as long as the beams it carries are sound. The beam is…
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Why do my deck stairs feel unsafe, and what makes outdoor stairs safe?
Outdoor stairs feel unsafe for three predictable reasons: the risers are not all the same height, there is no handrail you can actually grip, or the treads are…
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The bottom of my exterior door jamb is soft. How is door jamb and threshold rot repaired?
The bottom few inches of an exterior door jamb rot because water collects at the threshold, and most older doors have no sill pan underneath to carry it out…
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How far apart can deck railing balusters be, and what is the 4-inch sphere rule?
The residential building code says a guard cannot have any opening that lets a 4-inch sphere pass through, from the deck surface up to the required guard…
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Why does wood rot where it meets the stucco on my house, and how is that fixed?
Stucco and wood move differently, so the joint between them opens up, lets water in, and then holds that water against the wood while the stucco dries slowly…
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Why does my deck bounce or feel spongy when I walk on it?
Bounce and sponginess are two different problems. A deck that bounces evenly across a span usually has joists that are undersized, over-spanned or missing…
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After termite treatment, does the damaged wood need to be replaced?
Sometimes, and the deciding factor is strength, not appearance. Treatment kills the colony but leaves the galleries behind. Wood that carries load, such as…
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My deck railing wobbles. How much movement is too much?
A deck guard should feel solid when an adult leans into it hard. If the top rail moves more than a small fraction of an inch at a post, or you can see the post…
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Should termite treatment or fumigation happen before or after the wood repairs?
Treatment first, repairs second, with one exception. Fumigation and local treatments kill the insects but do nothing for the damaged wood, and new wood…
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Why do most deck collapses start at the ledger board?
The ledger is the board that ties an attached deck to the house, and it is the one connection that carries half the deck's weight through a few fasteners into…
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What do Section 1 and Section 2 mean on a termite report?
Section 1 items are problems that exist right now: live termites, active fungus, or wood that is already damaged. Section 2 items are conditions that have not…
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Which deck or balcony problems mean I should stop using it until it is fixed?
Stop using a deck or balcony right away if the ledger has pulled away from the house even slightly, a railing post moves at its base, a beam or joist probes…
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How do I read a California termite inspection report?
A California termite report, formally a Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms Inspection Report, is a snapshot of what a licensed inspector could see and reach…
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How do you estimate a wood rot repair when you cannot see how far the damage goes?
By opening the structure before writing the scope, not after. Levi probes everything accessible, then removes enough decking, trim, or stucco to see the…
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Are my sprinklers causing my fence and deck to rot?
Very likely, if the spray reaches the wood. A sprinkler head that hits a fence, deck post, or siding wets it every cycle, often before dawn when nothing dries…
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How do you repair rotted window sills and door trim on a stucco house?
Probe to find where sound wood begins. Shallow rot in a sill or casing is dug out, consolidated with epoxy, filled, and repainted. Deeper rot means cutting out…
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My deck railing post is loose and soft at the bottom. How is that fixed?
The post comes off, the rim joist and framing behind it are probed, and any rot is cut out and repaired. A new post is then anchored to sound framing with…
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How is rotted fascia or a rotted barge board repaired?
Short sections of rot are cut out back to sound wood and a new piece is scarfed in, primed on all sides, and painted to match. Longer runs are replaced whole…
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My fence post rotted off at the ground. Do I have to replace the whole post?
Not always. If the post is sound above the rot and the fence panels are in good shape, a steel post repair bracket or a treated sister post set in the footing…
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How do I know if my deck ledger board is rotting, and how is it fixed?
Look at the joint between the deck and the house. Water stains or peeling paint on the wall below the ledger, a gap opening between the ledger and the wall…
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How do I know if my second-story balcony or elevated walkway is safe?
Check from below and from above. Warning signs are soft or stained joist ends, a railing that moves when pushed, sagging or a change in slope, rusted hangers…
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Why did my balcony rot where it meets the house, and what is flashing?
Flashing is the metal or membrane that directs water away from the joint between a balcony or deck and the wall. Without it, every rain runs down the wall…
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How do you fix a deck or porch post that is rotting at the bottom?
The post is cut back above the rot to sound wood, the roof or deck it carries is shored, and the post is re-set on a standoff base or a masonry pedestal that…
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