Rotten door jamb and king/jack studs

bob22

I was installing a new storm door to the front of the house this weekend and found the bottom five inches of the doorjamb is rotted (where the closer bracket needed to be screwed onto) (see photo Jamb). The king and jack studs are also rotted away behind the jamb, from the sill plate up 5-6 inches.
I'm concerned about structural integrity as the king and jack studs not intact from top plate to the sill. I've attached a photo of the jamb where I've screwed in a piece of metal until I can get it repaired properly. Behind the plate is the rotten area (about the width of a stud and extends in at least 6-8 inches horizontally and down a few inches to the sill (other photo Front shows outside siding; location of area is bottom right).

My question: Should the king and jack studs be replaced from the sill to the top plate or can I use something like a scarf joint to repair them once I've gained access to them?
Thanks,
Bob

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butlersprints

first thing to do is locate water source. make sure top of door is sealed correctly then check those plastic column posts. if you don't then the repair will do know good. you will need to pull door to replace sill which is probably bad if bottom of studs are, so you are in for a pretty good repair job. be patient and do the job right . bandaid work is just a temporary fix that will go bad in time again. Is that home on a slab, or is that concrete under the door just for support? that could be part of the problem

chad4290

i always put ice and water under the door and a foot or so up the jackstuds it helps. don't forget the silicone around it. no easy way to do it now without ripping something apart. don't know what the inside looks like. i would just replace the studs. you could scab something on but i think that would be as much work as trying to work around just part of it.

Sammy

I would check for obvious leak points as soon as weather permits and a temp fix til you can get the whole frame pulled out.

As other say you have a water management issue that needs attention for a proper repair.

Two areas from the pics concern me....

The top molding over the colums appears flat which could be causing water to be direct back towards the house.

The wooden threshold insert appears wet next to the inside hinge portion of the frame which would point to water sheeting down inside the frame.

If five inches up from the bottom are rotted, you'll want to do a tear out and replace the rotted plus correct the water issue.

bob22

Sammy: The top of the pilasters on the sides are flat and butt against the header trim. There was a gap in the butt that I recaulked Saturday (red circled area in photo attached. I've recaulked it numerous times with 25-year acrylic+silicon before; this time I used some new "advanced" caulk from GE with a +/-25% movement rating.
I'm thinking this is where the water came from originally.
The green circled thing is properly caulked and flashed on top and doesn't look like there is any way for water to penetrate there.

butlersprints: Home is on poured concrete foundation walls with a full basement.

All: Since the king and jack studs have the interior wallboard (with wallpaper) nailed to them, I'd really like not to have tear them out. Is a half-lap joint an acceptable repair? I'm guessing not since these are structural members but I'm no engineer/builder. What if I half-lapped them and then sistered 3/4" plywood on each side of the studs with construction adhesive and nails?
I would like to wait until Spring since it gets cold here (near Philly) and having the front of my house open to the elements for a day or two doesn't seem like much fun. Anyone have any issues with waiting till the Spring?
Thanks for the help and suggestions.
Bob

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butlersprints

the longer you wait the more potential damage, you will carefully remove door trim, then cut between drywall and stud with sawzall, remove studs,& replace, renail drywall to new studs behind trim/wallpaper. even a diy can do in one day. get all supplys you can think of first ,return x-tras after. It sounds harder than it is. once again locate source of leak first then tackle project ,do it right you will be happy later that you did

bob22

All: Since the king and jack studs have the interior wallboard (with wallpaper) nailed to them, I'd really like not to have tear them out. Is a half-lap joint an acceptable repair? I'm guessing not since these are structural members but I'm no engineer/builder. What if I half-lapped them and then sistered 3/4" plywood on each side of the studs with construction adhesive and nails?
I would like to wait until Spring since it gets cold here (near Philly) and having the front of my house open to the elements for a day or two doesn't seem like much fun. Anyone have any issues with waiting till the Spring?

Marvin Gardens

You could even wait till summer. This is not an emergency repair. For wood to rot is takes years. I have lumber that is laying on the concrete that I use to keep other lumber off the ground. It has been on the cold wet pavement for 5 years and it is finally starting to decay.

Do it right and make sure you find the leak once you have the area exposed.

One thing I would consider is make a small overhang to shield the door way.

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