How hard is it to replace/fix rotted studs?

[nVRuckus 5,000+ posts]

Someone told me it wasnt load bearing lol.

So I said that it wasnt.

Its right above a window.

Above that is the roof, which is right above me. The water gets in because the gutters are fubared (that will be fixed soon).

Siding is brick.

better be 100% sure before you replace anything or crack.

 

[thatsgonnahurt 10+ year member]

in the picture is that a textured sloped ceiling meeting the wall? if thats the case we're looking at the top plate sitting on the header. no studs there. take an awl or screwdriver and poke the wood to see how "punky" it is.

 

[Pitchblack98 10+ year member]

Im a structural engineer so I can help you a little bit... If its an exterior wall then it is more than likely load bearing. It depends on which way the roof slopes to determine how much load it is carrying. Im going to assume the roof slopes towards that wall since it has gutters on it. In that case it is load bearing and is carrying half of the roof load from that bearing point to where ever it is bearing on the other side of the house.

With that figured out you need to determine if you need to replace the top and bottom plate of the wall. If the studs and header are that rotted I would try to replace them. The top and bottom plates are the top and bottom 2x4s that the studs are nailed to. It might be best to replace that entire wall if possible for you to do so. If not just replace the studs one at a time.

In order to replace the entire wall you should build a tempory wall and place it about 24 inches to the inside of that rotted wall to support the roof. Then tear out the old wall, frame up a new one in its place and call it good.

If that wont work for you then just do it a stud at a time. Do all the studs before you remove any studs or the header from around the window. Will all new studs in there you can tear out the window and window header to replace them with new material. It shouldnt cause you any problems to do it that way, just get it done quickly and dont let it sit like that for any extended amount of time.

PM me or let me know if you need any help or a detail drawn out to help you understand that a little more.

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

Okay after talking to my grandpa who knows his stuff with this, he thinks it may be harder to do, and definatley is load bearing.

Its a 10x6 laminted piece of wood, if that means anything?

The only water damage is pretty much the top 6-1" getting progressivley smaller spread out over 3 feet.

He said I may be able to take like a 1ft piece out at a time to do it, while the others stay there as support.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

And the roof doesnt slope at all.

That part of the roof is like a flat patio above it to hang out on/whatever.

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

And the outside of the house is brick veneer.

 

[thatsgonnahurt 10+ year member]

did you poke the wood with a screwdriver to determine the extent of damage?

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

Yup the top part is real real bad, as the pictures show.

The bottom part isnt as bad, but its kind of soft on the outside.

 

[thatsgonnahurt 10+ year member]

here's what i recommend as a former carpenter (with remodeling and framing experience). do a little more investigating to find out if its something you can handle.

remove more drywall and take more pictures. take a measurement of the length of the header. the 6 x 10, which indicates you have a 2 x 6 wall. take a picture of the roof so that we have some idea of the load on the header/ top plate(s). if the water damage is between the framing and sheathing you may want to let a contractor fix this as it will mean messing with the siding.

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

I thought this was on the van. I promise i almost shit myself. Well anyway good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

Okay more info.

I know exactly where the water is coming in, pretty easy fix.

But the problems may be more than originally thought.

Heres a shot of the whole thing.

 

[Pitchblack98 10+ year member]

yup. That entire wall needs to be replaced... I would do something about that as soon as you can do it right. Depending on the loads above that wall could become unstable.

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

Yea.

I ripped up the carpet because I was going to put down wood flooring and getting ready to redo all the walls, then I saw that.

Oh well now its out of my hands and I dont have to pay to fix it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif