Rotten Roof Joists

Wood rotting from the inside out compromises the structural integrity of the rafter.

Rotten roof joists.

This part can be a little hard depending on what wood you are working with. Pressure treated stuff won t let the water flow through the wood as well as straight regular wood. You can go for 6 inches if you have space. There s lots of different methods for repairing or replacing rotten joists but the one we decided to go with was to install wall plate.

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. Then just cut off the marked joists. Rotted wood rafters in a roof are a serious issue. Just to be safe we re going to cut the joists at least 4 inches away from the rotten spots.

This will make sure that dry rot that isn t visible won t sneak up on you. The best thing to do is mark your joists that are to be removed. Why i didn t choose a scarf joint joist repair a few reasons added up. You want to cut about 6 inches past where the rot ends just to make sure no more moisture will get through.

If your home has wood siding examine the siding around and beneath the windows for signs of swelling or discoloration. 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. Basically the idea is to cut the ends off and affix a new piece of timber to the wall.