Fairly Severe Water Damage © Valiant Exteriors
There’s more to the construction of wooden decks that usually meets the eye. They comprise a supporting structure overlaid by a framework of wooden studs. And then usually wooden sheathing followed by a siding.
They are therefore similar to roofs in terms of construction. Just like them, they can leak and damage the wooden rafters below. In both cases the interfaces are the weak points, as our customer in Calgary discovered to their disappointment.
Weak Interface Points on Wooden Decks
A waterproofed, gently-sloping deck should take rain and melt water away to a safe discharge point. However, there are still two danger points to manage. The first of these is the interface between the deck and the wall above, where the water tumbles down.
The second, less obvious one is where the deck joins the edge, especially when this is enclosed. That’s because capillary action will find its way through the tiniest crevices and could rot the posts and beams behind the siding.
About the Job We Did in the Photos
We may have stiff competition securing jobs like these, because unscrupulous siding contractors undercut us by installing new siding over rotten wood while their customers are away at work.
However, we always make a point of looking for evidence of water pooling and leaking through to the structure beneath. The stains and mold are not hard to spot when you know where to look. Where we suspect underlying damage we quote for remedial work as follows.
# The price for a simple siding replacement assuming no underlying damage
# An agreed hourly rate for additional labour should we need to repair the structure
The cost of the materials themselves depends on what we find. However, we undertake to stick to our policy of tight margins and a fair price.
What We Discovered When We Removed the Old Siding
We found rotted timber when the old aluminum sheathing came off. We had to replace several vertical studs, panels, and even a main beam.
The client was well-pleased with the final result, and congratulated us for taking time to investigate the extent of the damage and provide a fair quote.
Most of their expensive water damage might have been avoided had they called us few years earlier to arrange a siding inspection. Please call Valiant Interiors at (403)829-1661 if you notice water pooling on your deck, or at those critical deck / wall transition points.
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