Bath remodel floor rot - problem or not?

[Temp945]

Hi all,

I am remodeling my 1960s bathroom and just removed the old bathtub. I discovered some rot on the floor sheathing and beams as a result of a leaking tub drain (I think).

It appears that a repair was attempted at some point but now that the old floor and tub are gone you can see the full extent that the repair did not address.

It appears that an additional 2x10 floor beam was added next to one of the floor beams with some rot. The 1x6 boards attached to the floor beams are there to support floor boards that were laid perpendicular to and flush with the floor beams.

The wall on the right (with some insulation visible) is an exterior (load bearing) wall and has the least damage - only a couple of inches of softness.

The wall with the 2x6 framing is an interior wall. I think this wall is not load bearing (the 2x6 was only used to give enough wall cavity space for the plumbing stack vent pipe). The floor boards underneath are rotted quite badly.

I can replace the rotted floor sheathing / floor boards easy enough - but what about the floor and wall framing? Would you all just leave this be or would you be trying to replace some of the rotted wood?

Thanks for reading

 

[Jadnashua]

A wall running parallel with the joists cannot be a load bearing wall, so at least from that viewpoint, it's not horrible.

But, while you have things open, I think I'd take the opportunity to rebuild that wall's baseplate (a reciprocating saw should get the nails, and then slide in a new piece.

I'd be more worried about the joists. If you cannot sister in a full-length sister to effectively supplement that one that is damaged, I would not be comfortable. Ideally, you'd remove the rotten one(s) and replace them. It won't get easier after the remodeling is done!

 

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[Temp945]

jadnashua - thanks for your reply

I'd like to do the job right. With that said, do you think the city inspector is going to give me a hard time if I start trying to repair the baseplate and joists?

 

[wwhitney]

A wall running parallel with the joists cannot be a load bearing wall

Not quite true, the joists above the wall could be running perpendicular to the wall, and there could be unseen supports underneath the wall. But not very likely given how they chose to support the wall baseplate.

To the OP, I suggest the screwdriver durometer test: take a large flat blade screwdriver and poke some sound wood. It should only penetrate a little, maybe a 1/16"? You don't have to go crazy on it. Poke some of the bad wood, it will go in farther, like 1/4" or more. Remove all the wood that is noticeably softer than the good wood. Maybe be a little more conservative on removal on the joist.

For the 2x6 wall base plate, it looks like less than 2" of width is bad. So I'd try to remove a rectangular piece and just screw in a dutchman. On the joist, it doesn't look that bad at all, you could post a picture after removal for advice on repair. I'd be equally worried about the notched joist next to it.

Cheres, Wayne

 

[Jeff H Young]

jadnashua - thanks for your reply

I'd like to do the job right. With that said, do you think the city inspector is going to give me a hard time if I start trying to repair the baseplate and joists?

No I dont think he will give you trouble. im not a framer but my concern are the joists not the plate. Id want to fix it and wouldnt worry about the inspector

 

[Temp945]

Thanks wwhitney and Jeff!

I'm definitely going to try to fix this right. Thanks for your advice!

 

[Temp945]

I sistered two new PT boards to each of the joists with rot. In my haste to get it done I forgot to take photos of the uncovered rot. There was rot on both the top and bottom of each joist.

One of the "new" sistered boards was actually already there - it appears that a half-hearted repair was attempted from within the crawlspace. The sistered board was screwed into the joist with short drywall screws and had a 1/2" gap between the joist and sistered board. I removed the screws and reattached firmly with long GRK screws.

I'm tempted to call this repair good now! This is my home's only bathroom, and the lack of on-site bathing and toilets is getting old fast.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Jeff H Young]

With all that lumber I dont think its going anywhere.