rotting wood

[D'Olier]

The piece of wood along where the bottom of the doorway meets the floor is rotten in parts - as in I can press it in and it's soft. There's a very thin gap underneath between the bottom of the door and the 'threshold' that must have been letting moisture in over since the house was built four years ago. The gap is so thin you can't really see it, but you can see light through it and feel cold air.

My question is, can I just rip the strip out and put a new one it? Is it a straightforward job? The main question is, how do I fix the almost invisible gap? Raise the 'threshold' piece of wood somehow? - get a professional in?

Thanks!

[Joe Bobst]

Maybe, maybe not.

Might be, but then again...

Bingo! You might have some real problems if the builder took shortcuts as it appears from your description, so hiring a journeyman carpenter will probably be your quickest and even cheapest repair. Wood rot has an ugly habit of spreading farther than expected, so be prepared for bad news. HTH

Joe

[Roger]

"> The piece of wood along where the bottom of the doorway meets the floor is

Rot this early in the life of the door sill indicates it was not built right. Therefore, simple replacement will likely lead again to rot. Either it is built wrong, or with wrong materials. Sometimes, wood against wood in an exposed location will suck in water and hold it in place due to capillary action. Wood on the door should clear the threshold, with only the weatherstripping touching the threshold. Take it completely apart, back to solid wood, then have a *real* carpenter look at it, and figure out how to rebuild so rot does not return. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, don't take anything apart - call a well recommended carpenter first, to look at it.

[effi]

the latter

[tbasc]

There is a real possibility that the water has gotten to the sub floor. If there is a way to get to it through crawl space or basement, check the underside of the floor. If that's not possible, you may need to take up a bit of flooring at the door to check.

I'd suggest separating the work of checking from the work for repair. There is always a chance you will be given bum advice in the hope of generating more work.

TB