Best way to remove subfloor in cabin

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papakevin

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This may seem like a stupid question, but I have a camp cabin and I'd like to take up the subfloor to look at some joists. We are getting new carpet for it in two weeks, so want to pull up the subfloor to deal with some things underneath. I'm thinking of setting the depth of a circular saw and cutting a section to the joist, the sistering on a new piece of wood to reattach it. Does this sound like a plan?

The reason I'm doing it, there is not real crawl space access (lack of space as it is almost on the ground) and I want to check out the condition of the joists underneath and put down a vapor barrier since it is just dirt now.
 
Yeah that works but the joins going the other way have to be supported too. so, 2x4 blocks under those joints with glue and screws.
 
Thanks. I'll post photos of anything interesting I find. I'm hopeful this is a waste of my time, but my gut tells me I will find something. With new carpet going in soon, I might as well go ahead and give it a look.
 
Thanks. I'll post photos of anything interesting I find. I'm hopeful this is a waste of my time, but my gut tells me I will find something. With new carpet going in soon, I might as well go ahead and give it a look.

Cut holes just big enough for a hand with a camera:p
 
Every time that I've encountered a wood flooring system sans crawlspace without fail I've discovered termites or rot. I've had to replace entire floors house-wide in these situations.

If it were me I'd have all the subfloor out, fix anything which needed it, figure out a way to adequately ventilate all of it, then turn the soil into an EPA super-fund site with termiteicide. You should skip the last step.

Code now calls for a minimum of 16" between any wood and any soil for a good reason but I find that less is adequate so long as you can fully crawl under it to inspect and do repairs as needed. Hope you get off easy with this one!

Phil
 
Update. To my surprise, the floor was in better shape than I thought. The issue ended up being some rot around the door frame and carpet under the threshold, which allowed water to wick underneath and into the cabin.

While the top of the subfloor looked bad after I removed the carpet, the underneath looked good and the original wood floor joists looked like new. I did install a plastic vapor barrier since I now had access to the really tight area under the cabin. Although it probably wasn't needed, I did paint the front boards with mold killing primer for good measure before installing a new piece of flooring.


View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1493636036.342759.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1493636059.726482.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1493636072.683692.jpg
 
It looks like you got it early. If it was mine I would pull the door frame and do a proper installation. The deck at the same level can be trouble too. Cutting the deck board back a little in front of the door to allow air flow is a good idea.
I am sure you have seen this window video before, doors should be installed the same way.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2VOrk1MuWY[/ame]
 

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