Rotten Roof Joists

When replacing roof decking you first need to get rid of the old rotten section.

Rotten roof joists.

Cut away the damaged area. Some time ago we noticed that when having a shower water would drip through the suspended ceiling in the hallway below. Cut the rotten spot out. Commonly what you can see of the rotted wood is only part of the problem it is what you cannot see under the surface of the wood that can be the main issue.

Joist hangers are then attached to both the wall plate and joists and voila you have no rot but a nice properly supported floor. How do i tell if a joist is rotten and needs replacing. The rotten joist end is cut off and an angle cut is made to bottom of the beam to allow a new part to be bolted on a good distance from the fulcrum point. If you re building a new deck cover the joists with rubbery adhesive backed flashing tape this will add 50 or more to the cost of your deck but that s cheap insurance to prevent deck joist rot.

Wood rotting from the inside out compromises the structural integrity of the rafter. You may need to cut a little extra to expose enough of the trusses and make sure you get rid of all the rotten wood. Thinking that the leak was coming from a dated electric shower we decided that it couldn t be left any longer and started to rip out and relace the bathroom. This part can be a little hard depending on what wood you are working with.

Set the depth of your circular saw to the thickness of the roof decking. Paint can hide wood rot so poke the siding with the tip of the screwdriver. This method is only suitable if it s just the ends of the joists that are rotten. Pressure treated stuff won t let the water flow through the wood as well as straight regular wood.

You want to cut about 6 inches past where the rot ends just to make sure no more moisture will get through. We look closely at wet rot and its causes and effects the lasting damage of dry rot and how insect attack from woodworm and other wood boring beetles can severely compromise the structural and other timbers in the home. If your home has wood siding examine the siding around and beneath the windows for signs of swelling or discoloration. Rotted wood rafters in a roof are a serious issue.

It means removing quite a bit of timber that isn t rotten including the edge moulding. In fact damp and any kind of structural timber be it roof trusses floor joists doorframes window frames and sills make for largely one or more of three types of real damage. There is always the possibility in older properties that your rafters joists or trusses may have dropped at one end because over time the timber has become rotten and compressed due to long term exposure to damp.