Sill Plate Foundation Contractor Northern Virginia
A Rotting sill plate is a big problem for the structural integrity of your home. In addition, a sill plate that is deteriorating can create a situation where air and water can leak into your home. The sill plate is the first piece of wood that comes into contact with a masonry foundation. The lumber used for the sill plate must be pressure treated. This type of wood is chemically treated to avoid the rot that can seriously damage your home’s foundation. If your home’s sill plates are damaged and need to be replaced, Fairfax Contractor is here to help. To fully correct the situation, we want to examine the entire foundation and determine if other components are failing. We will also want to find out what the cause of the problem is as we will want to understand what has happened to cause the problem fully. This way, when we repair the foundation’s sill plate, we can ensure the entire foundation is in good shape.
Why Are My Sill Plates Damaged?
Typically we find that sill plate damage is caused by water or termites that destroy the wood. In conjunction with our sill plate repairs, we will need to find out the cause of the damage and remediate a solution. If the water has caused the damage, we will need to find out where and why water is infiltrating the foundation. We will need to look at the simple things such as exterior grading of the lot and also look if there is a problem with gutters and downspouts. It’s very important to ensure that the stormwater is moved to an appropriate location away from the home so it won’t come back and enter the foundation. If the problem has been caused by termites, then appropriate steps will need to be taken to ensure the termites are gone.
How We Replace Rotted or Damaged Sill Plates
Replacing rotted sill plates is a big job, yet it’s fairly straightforward. The first step is to provide temporary support for the foundation by using jacks or temporary supports. Adjusting the supports and jacks to lift the joist slightly will allow us to remove the rotted sill plate. We will systematically do one home section at a time and repeat the process until the job is complete. Once the area has been supported and the old sill plate removed, we will install a new sill plate with pressure-treated wood. As you can imagine, there will be a need to remove enough siding outside the home to access the area to be worked on. We might need to remove some drywall on the interior if the basement is finished. Fairfax Contractor can also repair the siding and drywall if needed. This is why having a general contractor repair your sill plate is a great idea, as we can ensure everything is taken care of.