Hi all,
I am having termite damage evaluated in a house I am in negotiations to buy. The owners are currently footing the bill for any work and treatment I request and have hired a reputable local builder to handle the structural repairs. My question is when would you accept “sistering” as a structural answer to a member that has been damaged vs. requiring that the whole piece be replaced. Are there any other less desireable options that their contractor may suggest to cut corners that I should be aware of?
Thanks for any info!
-Pete
Replies
Sistering could be better if removing the old piece would cause more dmage to surrounding items. Or if the new piece improves other things, like reducing the bounce of a floor.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Sistering is a better option for joists and studs unless the old piece is so far gone that it just crumbles away. If the old joist holds the nails coming down thru the subfloor well enough, sistering will hold the subfloor to the new joist without endangering the finished floor above.
For plates and headers, sistering won't work, you have to replace them. I had a sole plate in my place so far gone that I literally demoed it with nothing but a shop vac.
-- J.S.