I really can't remove the just rennovated concrete steps over the rotted sill and I have no idea how to "jack it up and replace it" so........any more options?
If I use concrete, what kind shall I use, small or no aggregate?
Thanks for any help.....
DanaH Boston
Did the new steps solve the frost heave and/or bad flashing problem that caused the sill to rot out? Shame on whoever replaced the steps for not taking a few diagnostic pokes with a screwdriver while the area was open. Even if they left the rotted sill, hope they flashed or sealed the step to house joint properly, and sloped the steps properly, or the problem will recur.
Replacement will have to be from the basement. Are the joists parallel or ninety degrees to the rotted sill? Like the others said, you slightly jack the joists close to the spot, sawzall out the bad section, chisel it out as best you can, and stuff a new section in. The joists should all be above the level of the sill plate. Or are you actually talking about the band joist (the 'end cap' over the other joists), that would commonly be behind a front door sill? If so, you may be SOL without demo and replacement of the front steps. If you don't have the needed tools or skill set, any of the foundation repair or house leveling companies in the yellow pages will know what to do.
aem sends....
If you don't understand the concept, you want to hire someone who does. It really doesn't get much simpler than this, and it's very inexpensive, as long as you turn the jacks and they don't have to come out everyday. I hired someone the first time I needed to replace a sill, now I do it myself.
Get some floor jacks (I use 3-8, depending on what I'm jacking and how long the area to be jacked) and position them in either the basement (if you can get access to the load bearing members), or outside (if you have a recessed doorway, just attach a 4x4 across the doorway frame and you can jack from outside, assuming the sill is not rotted on either side of the doorway, then you'll need to jack a longer area.
Jack it up SLOWLY, say a quarter turn a day (of course, your jacks might be different). When the gap is sufficient to accommodate a new sill pate (whatever your using in the rest of your house) pull out what's left of the old one, and put in the new, attaching it however the rest of your sill is attached. If your house is very old, you might want to check with your local codes to see what is currently recommended for materials rather than using what is already there. My house is about 200 years old, so when we replace sills we use pressure treated rather than the hand-hewn, bark-covered oak that was used originally. It's actually the 80 year old addition that has had most of the sill plate problems. Only one wall of the original house has need sill plate replacement.
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