Timber frame house + exterior insulation + water damage?
Hi,
I purchased a timber frame house about a year ago and am trying to learn how to take care of it. I’m fairly new to home ownership, so I’m having a hard time gauging how bad some of the issues are. Although the framing of the house was beautifully done, other things in the house seems like it was done diy (or just poorly).
The current issue that I’m trying to get a handle on is the insulation. The timber beams sit directly above the foundation, so the walls (dry wall, insulation, etc) are hanging outside of the foundation. I believe the beams partially overhang the band joists. Looking up underneath the deck, I can see 3.5” foam insulation and drywall (I’ve attached photo). It seems like the layering going outside in is:
– cedar shingles
– tar paper
– osb
– 3 1/2” rigid foam
– drywall
The most obvious issue is that nothing is properly flashed so almost all edges of the sheathing (around the deck ledger, door frame, window, etc) are completely rotten. The other concerning bits are:
– having exposed drywall & foam seems bad
– it doesn’t appear like there is air gap between the shingles and the sheathing
– it seems like the sheathing is glued to the foam
– the ledger is bolted to band joist thru 6.5” of foam/drywall/sheathing/plywood spacers
So I’m a bit overwhelmed and was hoping that someone can let me know what’s the appropriate amount of panic. And hopefully a path forward of addressing these issues…do I need to rip off the walls and replace them with new drywall/foam/sheathing sandwiches? Can the rotten sheathing be replaced without tearing the foam& drywall? Do shingles need to be stripped off so that strapping can be installed first?
Thanks for any and all advice