moisture under front door

[RD]

I've recently discovered a moisture problem under my front door. It is only visible from the basement. The sill plate and joists that sit atop my concrete foundation wall and directly below my front door are moist during rainstorms. There does not appear to be any evidence of moisture stains or damage to the plywood subfloor around the door. I suspect that water is making contact with the framing under my front concrete step and then wicking in. I'd like to fix before I have serious problems. My home is 4 years old.

Has anyone else seen this? Any advise on how to repair?

Thanks, RD

[tbasc]

This is a common problem. The solution is not cheap, but will save long term deterioration of the frame. Install a pan flashing below the door. Also look at the conditions around the door that might promote extra water and splashing. TB

[RD]

TB,

Thanks for your response. How would the pan flashing help if the water is coming in from under the door? I should have mentioned in my initial post that the front door is covered by a A-shaped roof so there is no splashing to speak of. RD

[tbasc]

Water may be entering the framing because the concrete is above the bearing for the frame. That's also common these days. If the bearing for the wood frame is above the level of the ground, this seems likely. If that is the case, some water is working its way down off the concrete step.

A way to flash from the door sill down between the wood frame and concrete is needed. That's hareder to deal with at long distance.

TB

[RD]

Thanks for the clarification. Using the garden hose to water plants next to the step, I find that moisture is apparent. In this case no water was dripping down from the concrete. Does this mean that the bearing for the wood frame is below the level of the ground? If so, does this mean I need to dig up the step, regrade and repour? Again thanks for your help.

RD

[tbasc]

You have to look at the building to find the relative positions of the various parts. Once you know that, look at the condition of the masonry to see if the water is wicking up from the gorund or working its way down from some highter point.

TB