Rotten Studs in Screened-in Porch... looking for advice!

[jastaylor]

So when I bought my 1930's house a few years ago I thought the screened-in porch (which built in the old attached garage) was an awesome component of the home. I recently found out that the porch wasn't built properly as the "windows" were really just hand made wood frames with a screen stapled on the front and there was no caulking or such on the outside. This has allowed enough water to get beneath the sills and within the walls that there is substantial rot even on some of the supporting studs. My question is that how do I determine whether or not the rotted wood can be simply cut away and bolstered with new wood or the room needs to be reframed. The porch does support the a room above it which make me nervous about structural integrity but I'm also not anxious to shell out alot of $$$ if I'm being duped by an over-zealous contractor looking to capitalize on my naivete!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[razz]

Depending on when the porch was enclosed, the work may have been done without a required building permit. Any repairs you make now, if they involve any alterations to the existing structure, will require a building permit, which any contractor is bound by his license to obtain and comply with.

So check your local codes. You may be able to get away with removing the non-structural added-on material, essentially restoring the porch to its original condition. If any of the roof supports are damaged (which is likely, considering the water problems caused by the framing), you may be able to repair them individually. But if you want to enclose the porch again, better check with your building department to get their recommendations before you begin.

[lefty]

jastaylor,

Welcome to DoItYourself.com and the Deck, Porch, and Patio forum.

What Razz said.

It may be possible to get an inspector to come look at what's there before you get too far along, and he (or she) will will tell you just how extensive of a job you need to do to repair it.

I doubt that you will be able to just cut out the bottom foot or two of a stud and just install a new piece. You MAY be allowed to do that if you then sister a new stud to it as well.

You're probably looking at changing the grading around the perimeter as well, so the water can't get to the bottom plate of the wall.

[razz]

Your situation is complicated by the existence of a room above, rather than just a roof. Based on my experience with 1930's homes, the columns are undersized or inadequate, expecially if the room was added on later. An easy way to tell is through the condition of the room: if the floor is level and firm and there are no cracks in the plaster, then the structure is sound. But if you replace rotted supports, you will need to comply with current codes, not 1930's codes.

[jastaylor]

Thx for the info!

I definitely want to do the right thing here but the way I understand the building inspector/permit process they come after the initial demo would occur. Who is the right person to say "you only need to replace these studs (following town code, of course)" vs. "you need to reframe the entire structure (following town code, of course)"?

Contractors seem biased towards the work they want to perform - i.e., the carpenter wants to reframe, the general home improvement guy wants to replace rotted wood, etc. How do I get a truly independent assessment of what needs to happen? One contractor said he has architects/structural engineers he uses but again I'm concerned that would introduce a bias...

[razz]

An independent structural engineer, experienced in older homes. Any structural engineer will be familiar with the building codes, but not all are experienced with problems of 70-year old homes. Just because the structure may not meet current codes, it doesn't mean it should be torn down. In some cases the most prudent option is not to disturb, because if you do, a major redesign may be necessary. Most engineers prefer to do redesigns, not save old ones.

But if your porch (and room above) aren't part of the original structure, a redesign may be the only option. A good engineer will be able to tell.

[lefty]

jastaylor,

You are going to get a 'prejudiced' answer, no matter WHO you ask.

Since the rotten studs are supporting a room above, I see no way that a bldg. inspector is going allow just the rotten parts to be cut out and replaced. He's going to want full length studs, from the bottom plate to the top. And if the bottom plate is rotten, it's going to be replaced as well.

You should call and see if an inspector will give you a 'pre-permit inspection'. He can tell you just how extensive of a remodel/repair you are looking at, and what will have to be done to satisfy the permit.

[rlvarcoe]

Hi, I just finished a project that was similiar to your problem. It involved an addition with a hot tub room. One entire wall (around 20 feet) was rotted out, there were 2 double windows and a slider. I started out by removing all the exterior siding and plywood. Once I saw the extent of the damage I started on one side and using tempory braces as I went along I replaced the studs, of course there were problems like the inside was cedar and to not damage it we sawed each nail and removed the stud then replaced it. All of the window headers were damaged so we replace them with 2x10 headers. When we got to the slider we discoved the slider was actually holding up part of the addition.. again temporary bracing and new 2x10 header as well as a new slider. Damaged plates were replaced in lengths that I considered safe (while crossing fingers). We also had to replace the insulation and new siding (original was pine porch tongue and groove, not readily available here in PA). As for patching or sistering rotton 2x4... I would not recommend it as that wood is very wet and that may cause damage to the new studs as well as mold etc. For the cost of the extra 2x4 I chose to replace. In this situation we also added a squirell fan in the attic of the original house and vented it out with 2 inputs from the hot tub room with a humidistat. Although I did this for a friend wood materials were about $1,500,00. I did talk to an inspector before I started and readily heeded his advice.

Hope this helps