Kalama, Washington
Dry Rot Repair in Kalama, WA
Dry rot repair in Kalama, by a contractor who lives here. Deck framing, window and door framing, trim and the bottom of walls, opened up to solid wood and rebuilt.
Call (360) 431-9382 or book online for a free estimate.
I live in Kalama, so I know what the weather does to a house here. Rain does not fall straight down on the bluff lots. It comes up the river on the wind and hits the west and south walls sideways, and it finds every joint in the siding, every window that was flashed in a hurry, and every piece of trim with a gap at the bottom. That is where Kalama rot starts.
Decks are the other half of it. A Kalama deck this year is the kind of job I like to show people, because it was a repair and not a teardown. The surface and fasteners had gone, but once I opened it up the joists were sound. New boards, new hardware, and the framing stayed. When the framing is good, you keep it. That is only something you know after you look.
When the framing is not good, you hear that from me standing at the deck, with the wood open, before anything gets ordered. Rot runs farther than it shows, and the only honest way to price a rot repair is to find solid wood first and then tell you what it takes to get back to it.
The water gets fixed with the wood. On the windward side of a Kalama house that usually means flashing and trim, not a bigger repair. A sill flashed right, a kickout at the bottom of a roof, a gap at the bottom of a trim board closed. Small things that keep the new wood dry.
Electrical and plumbing go to licensed trades. The carpentry is mine, and I am on the job every day.
Save yourself the wait
Send me photos of the soft wood and which way that wall faces. I will tell you what I think is behind it and what it takes to open it up.
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Rotted deck repaired in Kalama
Rotted surface and fasteners on a deck with sound framing. Repaired rather than torn out, because the joists were good once the old material came off.
Dry Rot Repair questions in Kalama
Which side of a Kalama house rots first?
The side facing the river. Wind comes up the Columbia and drives rain sideways into siding, trim and window frames that would stay dry anywhere else. Bluff lots get it worst. Check the windward wall before the others.
How do I know if it is dry rot or just old wood?
Push a screwdriver into it. Sound wood stops it. Rotted wood takes the point with almost no effort and crumbles instead of splintering. If it is soft, it is not going to get better on its own, and it is usually bigger than what you can see.
Can a rotted deck be repaired instead of replaced?
Yes, when the framing is sound. A Kalama deck this year had rot in the surface and fasteners but good joists underneath, so it was a repair, not a teardown. The way to know is to open it up and look. Guessing from the top costs money either way.
Can you just replace the bad board?
Sometimes. If the rot stops at one board and the framing behind it is sound, that is a small repair. If the framing is soft too, replacing the board alone hides the problem for a year or two. I open it up far enough to find solid wood before I decide which it is.
What causes dry rot in Southwest Washington?
Water that keeps coming back to the same spot. A disconnected downspout, a window that was never flashed, a deck ledger with no flashing, a tub surround that leaks a little every day. Dry rot is a fungus and it needs the wood wet. Find the water, stop it, then repair the wood. Repairing the wood without stopping the water is throwing the money away.
Are you a local contractor in Kalama?
My shop is on Confer Road. Most Kalama jobs are a few minutes from the house. Washington license JAMESHC764LM, bonded and insured, thirty years in the trade.
Dry Rot Repair in Kalama and Cowlitz County
James Hurula Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor (JAMESHC764LM) based here in town, serving Kalama and Cowlitz County on every kind of job on this page. I also work in Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Woodland, Cathlamet, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield. Thirty years of field experience, owner on site.
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Ready to start your Kalama project?
Call for a free same-day estimate. No pressure, no obligation. (360) 431-9382.