# Replacing Rim Joist and Sill Plate



## Millercchase (Jun 6, 2013)

I have an 8' rim joist and sill plate that is rotted about 4' from the corner of an 8x12' addition on my home due to water damage from what appeared to be a water line/washing machine leak that was neglected by the previous owner. Corner has begun to sag ~1/2-1". There is a support beam running perpendicular to the 12' floor joist 6ft from the rim joist, but does not extend to the outer floor joist. The Outer floor joist is rotted ~5ft from the corner. How should I go about replacing these. I know i'll have to support the roof from the outside to replace the rim joist and sill plate but should i replace the outermost parallel floor joist first and what would the easiest way be to go about doing this. I will also be replacing the sublooring which consists of 1/2"plywood, 3/4" tonge and groove overlaid with 1/2 plywood. Ill try to post pictures when i can. Thanks for any help.


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## CallMeVilla (Jun 6, 2013)

That is an ugly repair.  Pics and a hand drawn diagram of the framing would help.  This is gonna be fun!


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

Can you tell if the rot has extended up into the floor and bottom plate of the wall above?


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## Millercchase (Jun 6, 2013)

I haven't pulled enough siding off but judging by the extent of the damage I would say yes on the bottom plate and possibly part of the studs. The subfloor rot is pretty extensive in about a 5' square in that corner but is solid everywhere else


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## bud16415 (Jun 6, 2013)

From a generic point of view, without seeing any photos. You have to assume the addition hasn&#8217;t fallen down yet and most of that structure isn&#8217;t holding much of the roof at this point. I would remove the siding and insulation and drywall first. This should give you a better picture of the damage. Have a tarp ready to cover it up with until you get it fixed. When you see how far the damage is you can make a plan for jacking and bracing. You will have to decide if it&#8217;s best to replace the whole members that have rot or sister to them. Once you get it opened up and post a few photos I think you will get lots of advice.


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

If I understand it right , you are "not" concerned about the rest of the joists. Just the one on top the foundation running in the same direction as the rest and the corner?

Type, size and condition of foundation?
One story addition?
Roof gable above this wall? Ceiling joist ends, siting on this wall above?
Welcome to the site!


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

Bud: Carefull some additions can be sad at best and sometimes the siding is the sheeting, we don't want to rip and tear before we know the building won't fall down when we do it.


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## bud16415 (Jun 6, 2013)

I agree. If it looks like the siding is structural at this point I wouldn&#8217;t remove it. That&#8217;s why I prefaced my comment in terms of a generic assessment. If it&#8217;s vinyl siding or something that couldn&#8217;t be bearing you should get it off to see what condition the sheeting is in. Likewise the drywall inside should go along with the insulation to allow you to see the problem. Both of those are not likely to be carrying any of the load. If it is a two story addition everything above should be moved to get as much weight off the corner as you can. When you get to see the sheeting you can get a feel if what&#8217;s there would benefit from a few more screws as a stop gap. If there is a basement below with a ceiling that should come off to get a view from below also. 

Without seeing a problem it&#8217;s all speculation at this point.


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

I agree with removing drywall and insulation but most times this can be lifted with out touching the siding or sheeting above the rim joist until the structure has been fixed. I like to use the OP as my eyes so I can see everything that I would look at if I was on site. Keep in mind that the OP may be with or with out knowledge of structure and often over or understate the problem. Getting a good picture of the stucture, it's weight loads as well as the probem is the challange and even a photo sometimes can just give a narrow vission.


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## Millercchase (Jun 6, 2013)

The reason I haven't pulled off anymore siding is it will have to be replaced. Type of pressed Wood lap siding. It's a single story house built conventional. Concrete footings with cinder blocks. Im no carpenter but I don't think there's any way to sister since its the perimeter joist. It's paneling so when I get the washer and dryer moved I'll just tear it off to see the extent of damage. If it wasn't for the outer parallel joist being rotten I'd feel much better about jacking and replacing the sill and the rim if this were good. The corner is still holding the load structurally it's just sagging ~an inch. I'll post a drawing in a few. It's a crawl space and these joists are about 2ft off the ground on cinder block footings


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

Roof gable above this wall? Ceiling joist ends, siting on this wall above?


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## Millercchase (Jun 6, 2013)

No roof gable. This addition was built off the side of the house and the Ceiling joists sit on the wall.


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## bud16415 (Jun 6, 2013)

With the wood siding its easy to check it with a pen knife or an ice pick to see if its soft. I agree dont remove it if its not rotted. Chances are everything is good above the rim as Neal mentioned. Getting the equipment out of the room and a couple sheets of paneling down will tell you much more. The flooring can be tested for rot also and the bad stuff removed to see what you have.


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

On the outside of the building is there a deffinite line like the soffet or trim that you could trust was level when the addition was added. What I am looking for is something that was level, "can't trust siding" so we can measure down a distance at the corner and the other two corners, so you can tie string there and use a string level while you are lifting.


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## Millercchase (Jun 6, 2013)

On the level line yes, the other room of the addition is well built and level. It's the side along the rim joist. I don't have a good level line on the side with the floor joist other than the remaining good part of the joist which is still level from the house to the center footing. It's basically just the last 5-6' from the corner that's sagging.


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## nealtw (Jun 6, 2013)

Oh; is this the outside corner of the addition or the inside corner of the addtion and the house?
 For the level, if you can figure if the top of the wall is still level or sagged a bit. If it is still level across the top , then most of the wall is doing it's job and you can just hold it in place while you change the bad stuff. If the roof has sagged then it's a little bigger job but still doable.


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