Sill Plate replacement Thanks Termites :-O

4030 Views 2 Replies 2 Participants Last post by winglover1, May 5, 2009

winglover1

Discussion Starter · May 5, 2009

A recent investment house got nasty when we found the spongy living room floor was thanks to years of T's munching happily while the previous owners covering up the proof. So... My delemna... I have already removed the flooring, joists and have jacked up the corner of the front living room. The sill plate and front plate fell apart. Part of the problem is they were too cheap to put one more run of block and the front left edge of the house is 4" below grade.

My questions are:

The old system had one vertical 2X8 and one horizontal 2X4 in an L formation. The 2X8 joists were notched down to 6" to fit in the slot. Oh, and unless I remove an 8' deck on the front, I can't get to the face plate from the outside. I will have to nail them together and slide it in as one 10 section. Is there an easier way? Shouldn't there be two vertical boards?

There was no bolts in any blocks to the rotten sill plate. Should I fill a few with cement and put in a few bolts?

I have heard there is a caulk or foam you can use on top of the block, would Lowes or HD have this?

I also have a lot of moisture wicking up the cinderblock. Should I dig out the front deck and treat the block? Rubber or paint?

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winglover1

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 5, 2009

Thurman,

Thanks for your reply!

There are no joists in the living room at this time. The dirt crawlspace (which will get a vapor barrier sheet before plywood goes down) is all that you see in the living room right now. I have jacked up the corner of the house by angling three 2X8 in the corner and lifted about a quarter inch. You say you do not recommend PT wood, but on other posts, it looks like everyone uses PT wood near the ground. I will get the aluminum flashing as you recommend. I will try to get some pictures as I have never seen this extensive damage on any other properties I have rehabbed. The 2X8 joists were pancaking and there was hardly any strength left in them. The main support in the living room floor looks to have been the 3/4" hardwood flooring. Even they have termites in them, so they are all getting trashed as well.

The biggest problem seems to be that the front left edge of the house is actually below the dirt line. I will excavate out a French drain to get the water to move around the house, not through and under it. I also want to make sure there is no dirt to wood contact.

So… Would PT plywood be the thing to use along the front edge of the living room on top of the PT joists?

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