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workinprogress · 08-06-2008, 05:24 AM

i just bought a really old house which had been placed on a foundation about 50 years ago. The Northeast corner looks like a 10 by 10 or a squared log which runs along the foundation. the corner beam that runs vertically is about as large. I was told the joists underneath are huge tree timbers. This corner is rotted out by about a foot on the vertical beam and the horizontal beam. How do i fix it? do i cut out the corner and replace just the rotted area with chunks of wood? or is there any hope? thanks for any help you can give me.

**inspectorD** · 08-06-2008, 06:20 AM

We need a picture to help out better.
Does the log act as the sill, or a joist, or is this the foundation? Are they treated?
You may be able to cut the piece out and replace it in pieces, but make sure it is supported from above.

Pictures....

workinprogress · 08-12-2008, 08:55 AM

Here are pictures I hope will explain better the problem. It looks like (I was told) they used timbers. and put the old house on block foundation. I dug out the rotted part (looks like a downspout was located right where the rot took place).
but as i dug out rotted sill wood I could feel solid wood which felt like a new piece of wood. the vertical part looks like it is pretty much gone up to about a foot and a half. the old wooden siding is shot as well. this house is going to be sided soon. Please help me with suggestions of what needs to be done to repair this. thanks.

**inspectorD** · 08-13-2008, 06:17 AM

Get a good old school carpenter. You have more damage than you are seeing. Living in New England we have lots of old post and beam homes to fix up. This unfortunately is not a DIY project , as I have repaired many including my own 1820's home. You need to remove any old siding in the way of the work to begin with, and see how much more is damaged. Then patch it back later if you are going to cover it up with new siding. This always opens a can of worms, and you may find more than you want to. Just remember everything can be fixed, just how much is the issue. Maybe the new siding can hold off for now while you fix all that structural damage.
The vertical posts rotting out is a big problem, and the foundation underneath needs to be solid.
A post and beam structure is totally different from a stick framed building, good luck in your search for a local carpenter, and ask for references.

Just getting you ready for the reality of old homes, sorry if it is on the scary side or does not answer your question on how to fix it. The only way to do it right is to change the entire beams.