# Help with rotten wood and floating bump out



## fangarang_10 (Nov 17, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to these forums, and am hoping that you guys can help me out with some stuff for our newly purchased house.

We  have a small half-hexagon bump out to our kitchen at the back of the  house. Previously there was a walk-out deck, but we had to rip it up  as it was falling apart.

I have 2 questions that I'm hoping for help with:

For reference I have uploaded a picture

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-...s/818/dsc0180wn.jpg/

1)  As you can see there is now a bunch of exposed wood where there use to  be deck (under and above the door), as well as the diagonal walls have a  bunch of rotten wood near the bottom, where it met the deck (there was no flashing). What  should I use to cover this up, fix it? I've been recommended using a  pressure-treated plywood, but will that do the trick? are there other  suggestions?

2) For aesthetic purposes I think I want to close  this piece off to the ground (so that it doesn't look like it's  floating. How would I go about doing that?

Thanks for any help/suggestions!!


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## nealtw (Nov 17, 2011)

It's hard to see any rot there, can you get a close up of that?


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## joecaption (Nov 17, 2011)

To "build it down to the ground" your going to have to pore a footing and use block and brick. No wood can come in contact with the ground.


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## fangarang_10 (Nov 18, 2011)

Here are some additional pictures:

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting


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## joecaption (Nov 18, 2011)

Now all I have is a picture to go by, but there's a few things I can see wrong with that door and the way it was installed. No flasing under it, no sill pan, no sheathing under it (you may have removed it because it was rotten) and most of all it looks like it's sitting in to far. The threshold should have been hanging out over the sheathing by at least an inch.
It looks like someone installed the door to the studs then sheath over the nailing fin , a big no no. (there also should have been window tape around the nailing fin if that's missing to)
By being in to far the water can just run in behind anything you install under the threshold to support it, and no caulking will not work! Instead of plywood and that wood trim I would have bought a 4 X 8 sheet of PVC lumber to make the panels and used vinyl trim on the sides, and use vinyl brick moulding around the door, then you have zero maintaince.
http://www.jamsill.com/


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## nealtw (Nov 18, 2011)

I agree with Joe: there's no quick fix here. I would be removing all the exterior, have a good look at the framing and insulation from the outside and the windows and door are probably close to end of life anyway.
I would not extend this to the ground.


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## fangarang_10 (Nov 18, 2011)

Thanks for your help guys.

I'm starting to think I'm biting off more than I can chew. I may just have to try and patch it up for now and then have someone come in and do it properly for me.

I've been trying to look into getting some PVC or vinyl lumber, but am starting to wonder if they don't sell it up here in Canada. I'm going to go out shopping this weekend, and see what I can find.

Thanks again!


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## joecaption (Nov 19, 2011)

Try going to some real local lumber yards and asking about the vinyl lumber, it's huge down here in the states.
Any doors outside doors I order I get vinyl jams and brick moulding. How many houses have you seen with rot at the bottom and the home owner has tryed to cut it out and replace it once again with another piece of the same type wood. Now there's door companys that use vinyl at the bottom and wood at the top.
You could also try Googling vinyl lumber manufacturers and see if there any local dealers.
Two companys that come to mind are Fypon and Royal Wood.


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## nealtw (Nov 19, 2011)

We don't see a lot of vinyl up here yet. We do use the rainscreening for everything accept viney siding now and that helps. Rainscreening is when everthing is spaced out with strips of 1/2 treated plywood so air can circulate between the siding and the housewrap with bug screen at the bottom. It works good if doors and windows are installed correctly.


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## joecaption (Nov 19, 2011)

Why in the world would they do it like that, when house wrap is a water barrier? That would leave the siding unsupported between those strip of treated plywood, and pressure treated is now treated with copper which will react with any metal nails or screws that's not ACQ rated.
I just Googled "vinyl lumber, Canada and hundreds of sites came up. He's just some of them.
http://www.plasticlumberdepot.com/contactus.htm
http://www.fypon.com/literature/pdfs/catalog/fypon_pvc.pdf


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## BridgeMan (Nov 19, 2011)

fang,

Using proper techniques and materials, the deck rebuild looks like a small enough project for a novice, once you make improvements/corrections to the P.O.'s shortcomings.  And if you want the best chance of building something that will last, don't attach the deck to the bumpout with ledgers.  Rather, construct a free-standing deck, with a 1/2" air gap between the deck and house, using treated posts supporting the deck adjacent to the house and elsewhere.  Will last 10 times longer than ledgers, especially in your climate.  Hint--water in members that can't fully dry out has a habit of making things rotten.


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## joecaption (Nov 20, 2011)

I just went back and looked at the picture in your first post and was wondering what's up with the roof flashing. There should have need storm and ice shield on the roof running up the wall and down on to the roof, then a soild piece of flashing over the top straight area and down the sides then step flashing down the sides of the roof with vinyl J moulding attached to the wall to slide the siding into and act as sort of a rain gutter. What you have sort of looks like up side down starter strip with nailing slots exposed. 
Can you get a better picture of that area?


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## nealtw (Nov 20, 2011)

We don't get to write the code just follow them.


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## fangarang_10 (Nov 21, 2011)

you guys are awesome, and thorough.

Here are some pictures of the roof:

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting


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## nealtw (Nov 21, 2011)

I think you want to look at where the roof meets the siding above. Do you think this bump out was part of the original house or was it added later?


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## fangarang_10 (Nov 21, 2011)

we're pretty sure (not 100%) that it is original and is a cantilever design.


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## joecaption (Nov 21, 2011)

Wrong pictures, need ones where the shingles meet the siding, the rest of that stuff can be covered up with coil stock and not be seen.


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## nealtw (Nov 21, 2011)

Everything that is rotten wants to be removed and the structure behind needs to be inspected and repaired if needed before it gets deeper into the house. The door at the floor was changed when the deck was built and it will have to be pulled and reinstalled. If the door is twenty years or more I would change it out but that's up to you. The siding is such a small area and plywood, I would change it all. Vinyl siding is cheap fo something small like this.


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