bathroom floor joist rot

[Rick5]

Hi,

I am having my bathroom remodeled (I am not doing it myself). It's already been gutted down to the studs. I was very happy to see that almost all of the wood behind the tub and tile is totally fine. However, there is a small bit of rot in one corner where a stud meets joist. The bottom of the joist is slightly rotten due to an old bathroom leak that was fixed many years ago. That area has definitely been dry for years. The area is about two or three inches wide. I jammed a screw driver in there and it seems that the rest of the wood in that area is very solid. If I had to guess, I'd say 75% of the wood in that two inch section is solid with no discoloring from water, etc. I will point this area out to the contractor, but is this something that will have to be replaced? The stud seems totally fine, it's just the joist part on the bottom. Would a sister joist be appropriate in a situation like this, or can some sort of epoxy be used to reinforce the area?

Thanks!!

Rick

[RBM]

Sounds like a non issue. If the contractor deems necessary, he'll sister a

2X to it

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I'd cut out the rotted section and sister a portion. Should not be a big deal at all.

[Rick5]

Thanks guys. As a novice in these sorts of things (first time homeowner), I was worried that this may be a major repair.

Rick

[Joe]

To add a bit here: if you have dry rot it can spread, so your contractor may want to stop that by applying a liberal dose of Cuprinol or similar material to the critical areas. If you can't find Cuprinol, there may be treatments at boat shops that work well too. The sistering pieces probably should be treated wood as well. HTH

joe

[crayolahunter]

If this was my house, I'd fear collapse, and living in a house that could collapse at any second is not a comfortable feeling. I'd feel much safer living in a rental apartment or even in my car. You will always be living in fear, and living a life of fear only adds to poor health, can cause stress, anxiety, and even a stroke or heartattack. I'm sure you dont want to live like this, always wondering if the house is going to collapse. You are living on borrowed time. If the house suddenly collapses, you will likely die from being crushed, or at least suffer from serious injury. What's more important, a house, or your life? That junky house is trash and is overdue for demolition. Your only resort is to get a bulldozer and flatten the whole house. Or you might offer it to the local fire department for a practice burn, where they will burn it down for you. Once the old dangerous house is gone, you can begin to build a new, and safe house. I'd highly recommend looking for another place to live immediately. Get out of that pile of garbage wreck before it falls, which could be be as soon as one second from now. Get a short term rental, or a trailer house to live in until your old shanty is demolished and your new home is completed.

Note: As soon as you are moved out of that dangerous house, be sure to board the door and windows shut, and place a "Condemned - Keep Out" notice on the door. That way if someone enters and the place collapses, you are protected from liability. Of course you must maintain liability insurance too.

C.H.