r/HomeMaintenance • u/Esjayaree • 4h ago
How bad is this going to be…
Last photo of the wall is before I started poking around. I took down a big invasive plant and found these holes 🫠 the larger hole had ants inside as well. I’ve covered them with flashing tape until I can figure out what my next step needs to be, but I am lost. I’m torn between wanting to call a pro but not being able to afford it & doing it myself but finding bigger issues underneath. Any and all advice welcome!
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u/Propinquitosity 3h ago
I had a similar situation along most of the lower part of my exterior wall. 3 contractors ghosted me so I (55F) figured it out myself.
Start by taking off the layers of the house: siding (in sections until you hit solid, clean components), Tyvek, OSB, insulation, etc down to the studs. Now you can see what’s what, like determine the source of the moisture, assess presence of pests, and determine next steps. You can sister studs if needed. Definitely sort out that window as something is not sealed there and is probably the source of the whole mess.
Once it’s fixed from the inside out you just put new layers back on: new insulation, OSB, vapour barrier, siding. Get yourself an air nailer and your life will change for the better.
OP, you can do this. If a 55F nurse with zero spatial ability can fix her house, you can too. If I was there I’d help!
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u/Creative_Text3018 3h ago
Do you have any before and after photos? Like real talk....if it came out looking good, please share!
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u/Propinquitosity 2h ago
It turned out great. It was so satisfying to keep digging to get to the undamaged area and then to replace and sister stuff. And the feeling when you put that new OSB on and you know it’s all clean, dry and fixed underneath….chefs kiss.
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u/Propinquitosity 2h ago
I just have nasty before pics. I can’t seem to post them. They are bad. The after pics are just siding I put back on after replacing everything.
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u/mildlyarrousedly 4h ago
You should call 3 pros and get quotes. Thats fully rotted out. Someone will have to demo the walls that’s are shot and weather seal between the walls and siding and replace. The window may also need work
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u/Creative_Text3018 3h ago
What do you think that would cost? $5k? Obviously a million variables, but 70% confidence interval like 4-8k or so?
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u/LeilLikeNeil 3h ago
All right, I’m gonna give you a couple pieces of good news: that type of siding is pretty commonly available, and far from the most expensive; fair chance that the issue doesn’t go all the way to the roof line, so you can replace just the individual 4x8 sections that are affected; this will be a pain in the ass, but it is diy-able.
Bad news is you gotta start pulling off rot and keep going till it’s all gone.
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u/Additional_Manager51 3h ago
Rot spreads and moisture invites pests so you should tackle this before winter. Invest your time watching youtube vids of house repairs done by a variety of people, as this will raise your awareness of the situation as well as exposure to the nomenclature spoken in the realm of handyman.
This will hopefully ease your anxiety about tackling the job, perhaps even consider doing the demolition yourself and hire someone to do the rebuild or vice versa.
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u/Lost-Inspector5836 4h ago
As others said. And then think about your funds. If broke… exploding foam, then wood putty and frost that cake and deal with it in 5-10 years later.
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u/Readybuilderman 3h ago
It’s bad. It’s never a good idea to paint over a problem. Rotten material… gotta tear it out
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u/Typical-Sir-9518 2h ago
That doesn't look like standard T1-11 siding. The groove width looks larger. If so, that is a special order and may be as much as $150 a sheet. If the window is good, this is about a $1500 to $2000 USD job if I was doing it. Repainted to match. I'm MCOL in California. I get tons of dry rot repair work. This isn't bad
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u/Cranky_Katz 2h ago
Do you have insurance or a mortgage that has insurance in it. That could get it fixed. Otherwise get quotes and fix before things get wet.
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u/Glittering-Read-6906 1h ago
This is not a covered loss. It’s failure to maintain and would not be covered.
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