Replace rotten sill and rim joists

in this video Connor, Eddie and myself replace rotten sill and rim joist. After 30 years we replace a deck and upon tearing off the old deck make a common discovery. Rot from water intrusion. we show the step of adding some cheap insurance, ice and water shield. Showing safe method of jacking floor.

[@stevenhoffner150]

This video is exactly addressing our newly discover rotted out cill plate behind our deck due to the same reason when our house was built in 1980, thank you for this informational video to help me plan for what I need

[@JohnFrytag]

His Steven; That really makes my day. Although sorry you have this problem. Thanks a million for the great comment!!!! John

[@master_vator]

Mine looks justvlike this, from a deck that was put on 30 years ago roughly, I'm replacing the deck next year. This looks like a very doable job. Thanks boys. Not looking forward to this but, gotta be done

[@JohnFrytag]

@@master_vator 👍

[@lifecoaching5068]

Thanks for making this videos real stuff. Many videos only shows the best part and everything works out just like fairytales. People wants to see all the pain stuff

[@JohnFrytag]

Life Coaching you are welcome. Glad you liked it and thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!! John

[@Aelanna]

That's exactly what happened to my double wide mobile home. Some guy built our deck 23 years ago before we lived here and did no flashing at all, just nailed the ledger to the wall and now we have similar rot in the wall, with holes to the inside, mice and yellowjackets making homes in it, etc. I have to demolish the existing deck and redo everything from scratch. What a pain.

[@JohnFrytag]

@@Aelanna sorry to hear that. It is very common

[@dibblm]

exactly the info I was looking for. I ran into some rot on my house. Wasn't sure how to go about replacing it. Found your video and it gave me the exact path I needed to follow.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Mike; Glad it helped! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching, John

[@stevenhoffner150]

Thank you John for making that in depth educational video, I think I watched at least 10 videos that were good addressing other issues close to what my issue is before I came across your video, and right from the start you made clear what was the issue at hand and what u need to do to fix it, All other videos I had to watch half the video in order to find that's not what I need help with.

[@TheTwisterman21]

Nice! Just did a project like this. In my jurisdiction, it requires a membrane between the sill plate and the concrete to avoid rot in the future.

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks for watching Andrew. That is probably a good idea even with a treated sill. Belt and suspenders.

[@Pw6872]

That and the fact that the top of the wall is never perfectly even, block or pour. Membrane helps to seal the unevenness.

[@mendonesiac]

Here in California we bolt the deck to the building with hockey puck looking spacers. They allow air to circulate between the deck and the building.

[@JohnFrytag]

sounds like a good idea.Thanks for watching and commenting! John

[@themaninthegoldenfields2543]

That's my dad and brother! I have no idea what they did to fix the problem but it was cool!

[@JohnFrytag]

Lots of fun

[@fortheearth]

Great demonstration; thanks much.

[@JohnFrytag]

You are very welcome! Glad you got something from it!! John

[@Pw6872]

Nice work!

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks

[@farcow]

I wish you were located in northern NY! My guess is we are going to have this exact problem when replacing the rotting deck.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Farcow; Yeah I am afraid you will, but maybe you will get lucky??? hope so. I am just across the border in Nepa. If you are ever driving down I81, first exit (230) in pa, Stop into Red Rock bbq Thursday thru Sunday. Thats what is keeping me busy lately. Thanks for watching and commenting!! John

[@thelazyhandyman8581]

Did you just hammer in the double wood layer and let the gravity hold onto the sill plate? I didn't see any screws going into the sill plate...

[@geomodelrailroader]

I have the same problem my deck was built 30 years ago in the brad nail era before screws were invented in the 90s. brad nails are no longer code, painted wood is not code, and screwing the deck to the house is not code either. What is code is all wood needs to be screwed to the house, all walls need to have foam insulation on the outside not fiberglass, siding needs to be cork as the base layer and Sheetmetal on the outside to prevent leaks, and the next needs hook bolts where it hits the studs and concrete anchors on the bottom and by the house this way it won't come down.

[@doloresmorales6209]

Thank you.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Dolores; You are most welcome. I'm delighted you liked it. Thanks for watching! John

[@Loonypapa]

Letting the facade wall assembly hang on that plywood subfloor probably wasn't a great idea. Good job pulling that out of the fire. For future reference, you can use properly spaced and positioned shoring poles and needles to keep the wall from sinking.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hey Loonypapa; Thanks for watching and thanks for the tips. I can use all the help I can get!! John

[@waynewayne9693]

Personally I would be excited because it wasn’t down on the ground and or under in a crawl space. Lol dealing with the crawl space issue now.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Wayne; I hate crawl spaces but sometimes ya just gotta crawl. Probably the worst I had was under a double wide manufactured home on slab. I had to roll half way under the thing on a creeper and fix a pipe. all I could think about was all the rattlesnakes known to be on that property. Still makes my skin crawl. Thanks for watching and the comment!! John

[@linkscape1957]

So are all the studs the same length or did you gradually increase them ?

[@mcchupka9718]

Thanks Tagg.

[@JohnFrytag]

You got it! Thanks for watching. John

[@charleyweinhardt]

Looking at the exact same thing 30 years old, deck boards run into the house sitting on top of a ledger with improper flashing no. Only I don't have a convenient interior wall to put temporary supports. Criminal carpentry...

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Charley; Sorry to hear that. The cost of doing it right isn't much more. I hope you come to a feasible solution. Thanks for watching. John

[@christinastpierre3052]

I’m dealing with this exact issue right now! Don’t even know where to begin!!! Money is tight living on fixed income!

[@ScottB0107]

Our deck didn't have flashing when we bought our house. They put it there after inspection but damage was already done. Did not notice until a couple months after buying the house. I am positive the side of our house looks like this. I keep telling the wife we need to get it taken care of but she doesn't think it's an issue right now.. so once the basement has been renovated and we are ready to redo the deck then we shall see who is correct.

[@JohnFrytag]

I’m sorry to hear that Scott. It’s probably something you want to address soon because it can be a dangerous situation. If it has been flashed and there is no more water entering the rot should stop. If you can’t notice sagging or other structural damage maybe a solution would be to add supports under the deck so its not depending on attachment to the house to keep it aloft. Thanks for watching.

[@bryanl1977]

Gotta love an honest seller.

[@kykle90]

Does the pressure treated sill plate need to be bolted to the masonry?

[@JohnFrytag]

Yep it should be. This was a repair and they didn't do it originally.

[@wadebarnett2542]

Was there any sort of sealing material placed between the concrete and the treated wood? I'm just wondering about water running in. Or, was that area covered with matching siding?

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Wade; There was no way to put sill seal or any type to tar paper or plastic because of the tight clearance. it would just ball up. So the sill plate is treated lumber and the siding covers it. Thanks for watching!!!! John

[@donaldwhite7536]

Cool, just what I was looking for! It just wasn’t clear to me what you did exactly inside the garage to raise the floor joists of the house 1/4”, just sledge hammer in 2x6’s 1/4” longer than the current height? Otherwise excellent video, although your fish eye lens kind of makes everything kind of look curved.

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks Donald. The hero 5 black camera. Too many settings I don’t know how to set. Lol

[@Vecto_Vindictus]

I found out today that an extension built onto my house has serious rot. Concrete patio built above grade... No flashing... It's against the ground too so I have no way to jack it up.

[@JohnFrytag]

Yea it can be a tragic problem. We are pouring a patio against our old barn. We uses it as a wedding venue. we placed Ice and water shield against any wood that might come in contact. Concrete is like a sponge and wicks moisture to anything it contacts. Sorry to hear it. John

[@Vecto_Vindictus]

@@JohnFrytag Thanks for the response man.

[@Zacharykconrad]

Noticed the NMH hat! Hello from New Milford! Let me know if y'all wanna do an IRL tutorial on 706, bottom of summit hill 😂

[@JohnFrytag]

Oh yeah I absolutely love NMH. IRL?

[@Zacharykconrad]

tagg mann "In Real Life". Had to replace about 30 feet of sill and rim joists. Found the video extremely helpful!

[@JohnFrytag]

@@Zacharykconrad ahh.. irl. Thanks , i learn something new everyday. Glad it helped.

[@vanstromi7810]

How did you measure the 2x6’s to “jack” Up the floor joists without a jack? You said add a quarter of an inch to what? More importantly, how did you frame that up? Did you just hit in a nail at an angle?

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Van; Great questions; You will see there is a 2x6 at both the bottom and top of the temporary wall. the top one (plate) is screwed to the ceiling. This was easy because the sheetrock was unfinished and the location of the floor joists was indicated by the sheet rock screw heads. The temporary bottom 2x6 (shoe) was placed on the concrete floor directly below the top plate. We would stand on the bottom shoe to make sure it was tight to the concrete and then using a tape measure simply measure between from the bottom to the top making sure the tape is plumb as it is extended up to the top plate, reading the tape where it bypasses the bottom edge of the top plate and adding 1/4". We didn't use nails, 3" Torqx headed deck screws are our fasteners of choice for this type of project. Generally using an impact driver they are easy to install and easy to remove. The way the uprights are wedged in a single screw on top just so it can't fall out as you install the next one is all that is needed. I hope you find this helpful. Please consider subscribing, I'm almost to 1000 subs. Thanks for watching and commenting!! John

[@walukab14]

How much would this job cost roughly cause mine is rotted out too due to deck installation with no proper flashing we bought the house 4yrs ago thanks

[@JohnFrytag]

Great question. Probably around $12 to 1500 depending on your local labor and lumber prices. Also local codes and permit requirements can add to the cost.

[@ebirinkugba6178]

Wouldn’t you want the ice and water shield to lap further onto the downstairs wall?

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks for watching. As I recall we covered the wood with it. Lapping over the block wall doesn’t really matter since water won’t hurt it.

[@staceyiadevito137]

What type of company would a homeowner hire to do this type of repair? If the are of damage is only 15 inches, would it require a replacement of this nature or would doing a sister joist potentially be an option?

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Stacey; I would guess a general contractor. At the time we all worked as independent contractors who would help each other depending on the job. Every job is different but in general the rot should be completely removed for a proper long lasting repair. In this case there was nothing left to sister too. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!! John

[@D3adP00I]

wish i could hire you guys, I have the exact same issue :(

[@JohnFrytag]

It is a common problem. Thanks for watching!

[@bluev3nom]

You guys are characters man! lol. Eddie reminded me of my late father when he said, "lets sing the clean up song". lol That made me laugh. For a newbie here: What nails did you use? How much larger was the frame you built to jack up the house than the house/ceilin/joist? I'd imagine about an half inch larger to an inch? What screws did you use? Why didn't you use a rubber mallot than a regular steel mallot? And what is flashing? I suppose it was that sticky sealant you put over it? Great Work Boys

[@JohnFrytag]

Hey Blue, Thanks for watching, I.m glad you enjoyed it. Working with Eddie for over 20 years was a pleasure and I can tell you we always had fun on the job. Mostly we used the 3' ceramic coated torx deck screws. They are strong, virtually impervious to rust and corrosion and they hold like crazy. Whenever we are using joist hangers of course we use approved hanger nails. As I recall we added about a 1/4 inch to the inside temporary wall. although it was rotten it hadn't sagged far yet and the main objective was to take the weight off so we could easily remove the old and install the new. Again thanks for watching and the great comment. John

[@bluev3nom]

@@JohnFrytag you guys did great. Eddie retire or what? When working with drywall bathroom under 2nd story, do I just let the wiring to the house just extend out as is? Looks funny sitting there across pipes and all sorts of things that you'd think hazard right away. I'm about to seal it up and would like to know b4 hand Thx!

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Blue; Sorry to say but this was one of the last jobs Eddie worked on. He had a two year battle with leukemia and left us last April. Like I said before he was always a pleasure to work with. We laughed everyday all day and the memories keep me buoyant although there is a large unfillable hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. I guess the Lord needed a contractor or maybe just a good belly laugh, with Eddie he got both. When I do wiring (disclaimer; I am not a licensed electrician. I have however wired several houses and remodels) there are a couple unbreakable rules. Always bring a wire into a box. In other words never have a wire end or connection buried in a wall behind sheetrock. You might have to add a box or two to extend the wire to where it can be connected. I guess you are working in a ceiling? I would used planed light locations as junction boxes or add a box with blank cover to add enough wire to the ones sitting on pipes or anything besides structural members to be able to route it away and fasten securely to the structural members. I hope this helps, feel free to ask anything else. Glad to help if I can. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching! John

[@PRAISEGODMEDIA]

How about Connor, Eddie and yourself take a road trip to Kansas City, Missouri so ya can do this same job for my wife and I?

[@Mikebike68]

I second that ✋🏼

[@PRAISEGODMEDIA]

@@Mikebike68 It sucks because we paid a contractor $28,700 to create a new foundation among other things but he ripped us off. He caused destruction and we have been spending thousands every month to fix his damage. We even had black mold because he didn’t do his job we had hired him back in 2019. We have rotten sills to replace which we gave him the money for that.

[@JohnFrytag]

Now that would be a fun trip. My wife and I have friends just west of St Louis and a couple hours south in Salem (small town). I visited once and thought the people were just wonderful. All except the contractor you hired. This job actually lasted 30 years before we fixed it so that guy must have really messed up. Sorry to hear of your problems. John

[@JohnFrytag]

Oh and thanks for the comments and thanks for watching! John

[@Mikebike68]

@@PRAISEGODMEDIA whoa that’s a lot of money. I’m getting ready to attempt it myself. Maybe $1000 in materials. 😬 wish me luck

[@mikecasey2345]

Not bad job if rhe joist run 90 degrees. Easy o support while repairing.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Mike; Yeah that's true. The joist running the other way make an entirely different situation. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! John

[@calebcarlos9044]

I have the issue of joists parallel to the outside joist that’s rotted… any chance someone knows how I tackle it?

[@joes3852]

Did the deck have to come down? Could you have fixed the wall and properly flashed the deck without having to take the deck down? Have a similar problem, and don't want to lose the deck. thanks

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Joe; This deck was pretty rotten so I did have to come down. I'm sure you can figure a way to support the deck and maybe move it out of your way to do the necessary work. Or maybe disassemble it to the point you can access the rot and fix it. Thanks for watching!! John

[@joes3852]

@@JohnFrytag thanks john hoping thats the case

[@dukebeach1]

I’m still not clear why building the false wall is preferable to using basement jacks and a beam. Could you please clarify as to why and how long do you make the vertical members of the wall if leaving drywall in place? Thank you.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Duke; I suppose either way will work. If you decide to go with building a beam and then using jacks or jackposts (preferably screw type). You will have to build a fairly substantial beam so you're using lumber that will be harder to reuse. The size of the beam will depend on how many jackposts you intend on breaking the span with. Unless you have another use for the jackpost or can borrow them its another expense. If your situation dictates leaving the beam in place jackposts is probably the way to go. By building the false wall we spread the load over the course of the entire thing so it didn't hurt the sheetrock even a little. On this project we added 1/4 Inch to each vertical. And the lumber was easily used elsewhere. Thanks for the comment and watching the video. Consider hitting the subscribe! John

[@Brandon-no3vc]

The wall wasn’t even over top of the rim joists to get any good screws in there plus I didn’t see no anchor bolts

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Brandon; Looks like you could be an excellent building inspector. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! Hope you hit the subscribe button. John

[@Brandon-no3vc]

@@JohnFrytag why you do that?

[@JohnFrytag]

Just the way I am I guess? Watch some other videos maybe you can find a pattern? Thanks for watching! John. P.S. Did you subscribe yet?

[@Brandon-no3vc]

@@JohnFrytag hack

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks Brandon. Glad you subscribed and continue enjoying my humble channel, John

[@berngarcia77]

What would it cost me for something like this?? I just going to let y’all do it.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Bernardino: It was a couple years ago when lumber was cheaper. Was around $3k if I remember right. Probably around 5 now. Thanks for watching. John

[@williamhartsell6390]

What screws were you using?

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi William; Ceramic coated deck screws. We use them on a lot of different projects. They are a little pricey but the dont rot out and the torx 27 is far superior to any Phillips or square or combo headed screwhead. Thanks for watching, John

[@williamhartsell6390]

@@JohnFrytag deckmate?

[@JohnFrytag]

Not sure, I grab the ones from my local supply house. Gonna have to check the name now....

[@williamhartsell6390]

@@JohnFrytag gotcha. I picked up stainless steel decimate ones. They seem nice. Just picked up some spax to try

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi William; Finally got a look at the brand. Grip Rite exterior screws. Primeguard plus lifetime coating...whatever "lifetime" means. The ones I have are actually T-25 Star drive. They work well. John

[@strokerace4765]

That looks typical to my area, no one around flashed decks.

[@portagepete1]

Paint the new wood so this doesn't happen again.

[@JohnFrytag]

Hi Pete; probably not a bad idea. Main thing is to keep everything dry. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!! John

[@JohnFrytag]

FYI; Changed channel name to John Frytag. Thanks!

[@user-fj5ul9ci7d]

Nice work!

[@JohnFrytag]

Thanks! And thanks for watching. John