Gable wall rotted

1142 Views 5 Replies 2 Participants Last post by motoriderx7x, Apr 28, 2016

motoriderx7x

Discussion Starter · Apr 26, 2016

Hey guys, need some advice here on how to approach this.
I have a gable wall in a 1960 ranch style home. It has ~4" thick flag stone exterior with normal 2x4 framing. House is in VA.
I am in the middle of a remodel when I realized my exterior walls had no insulation at all. They are covered by a 3/4" thick plaster/concrete on old gypsum boards. so the wall seemed very strong from inside the house. It wasn't until I pulled a section of it down that I noticed a large amount of rot on the stud. It was completely compromised (like paper at this point). I kept going until I realized the entire wall was like this all but 2 studs were nothing but dust and flakes. most of the bottom plate is gone and some of the top plate as well. The exterior stone was held to the 2x4's with metal clips which are obviously doing nothing. I have since placed in new 2x4's and sistered the ones that were somewhat there for temporary bracing not sure how to tie the exterior stone back in. Here are my questions:

1. How would you even go about replacing this wall and making sure it's properly water proofed etc.? Am I looking at tearing the whole wall down and replacing it (likely with siding this time). At this point I'll be bringing in a professional, but I'm still curious.

2. I noticed the band board in the basement "looked" new. As it turns out when I bought the house there was termite damage that had been remediated. The termite company did the work and you can clearly tell this bandboard was nailed to the existing rotted board in that corner of the house. I pulled it out with just my hands at which from the basement alone you would of seen a rotted sill plate, bottom plate, and band board so it's clearly a cover up. What actions if any do I have to pursue the company that did the cover up?

See less See more

Save

1 - 6 of 6 Posts

joecaption

· #2 · Apr 26, 2016

That picture does not show much.
I feel for you, your going to have a time finding anyone that has a clue coming to look at this one in your area.

Save

motoriderx7x

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 26, 2016

Sorry I didn't take many pictures of it. In the above picture it shows the newer looking board covering the original completely rotted band board. You can also see the window below there is a "sill plate" under a board they literally just set on top of the rotting sill plate. At this point I'm considering just having someone come in and remove the entire wall rebuild sheath with ply and house wrap and put siding that matches my garage back on it. There is a chimney and fireplace on this gable end though. :vs_worry: :vs_boom:

Save

joecaption

· #4 · Apr 26, 2016

Was there any form of vapor barrier on the back side of that stone?
In most cases the gable end is the easiest one to do what your suggesting.
Most are not supporting the weigh above like a side wall would be.

Save

motoriderx7x

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 26, 2016

Yes, it was a gypsum like boards that had felt paper on both sides it was in between the studs and the stone. When The studs fell out they pulled it down with it leaving the inside of the stone exposed as you see in the picture.

Save

motoriderx7x

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 28, 2016

I'm in the process of locating a quality structural engineer to have a look at this issue and draw up plans. I found one through some very trust worthy sources (friends who live in Maryland). This engineer is licensed in Maryland. Does anyone know if am I able to have him draw up plans and submit them to my county in VA?

Save

1 - 6 of 6 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month