Longview, Washington
Dry Rot Repair in Longview, WA
Dry rot repair in Longview. Subfloors, deck framing, window and door framing, and the bottom of walls. I find the water, stop it, open the wood up to solid, and rebuild it so it stays fixed.
Call (360) 431-9382 or book online for a free estimate.
Most of Longview was built between the 1920s and the 1950s, and a house that age has had seventy years for water to find a way in. The rot I see most here is indoors, not out. Tubs and tile surrounds that leaked a little every day, toilets that rocked on a soft flange, a kitchen sink cabinet that was wet underneath for a decade. The floor goes soft and the bottom of the wall goes with it.
A Longview bathroom job this fall is the usual case. The tub came out and the subfloor under it was gone, along with the bottom of the pocket door framing next to it. The homeowner had a soft spot in front of the tub and nothing else. That is how it almost always shows up. The repair was cutting the subfloor back to solid wood, new three-quarter inch plywood, new framing for the door, and then the new tub and floor on top of a floor that will hold them.
Outside, it is decks. Deck boards are the part people see rot in, but the part that matters is underneath. The ledger where the deck ties to the house, the joists, the posts at grade. A Longview deck this year had rot through the framing, not just the surface, and the right answer was a rebuild in composite rather than new boards on bad bones.
Rot does not stop where you can see it. I open the wood up until I reach solid material, and I tell you what I found and what it changes before the repair goes ahead. If the number moves because the rot ran farther than either of us expected, you hear it standing there, not on the invoice.
The water gets fixed first. A repair on wood that is still getting wet is a repair you will pay for twice. Flashing, a downspout, a tub drain, a window sill, whatever is feeding it gets corrected as part of the job.
Electrical and plumbing go to licensed trades. The carpentry is mine, and I am on the job every day. My shop is on Confer Road in Kalama, fifteen minutes south of Longview.
Save yourself the wait
Send me photos of the soft spot, the stain, or the board that crumbled, and tell me where the water might be coming from. I will tell you what I think is behind it and what it takes to open it up.
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Recent work in Longview
Subfloor rot under a bathtub in Longview
Old tub out, rotted subfloor and pocket door framing cut back to solid wood, new plywood and framing, then a new tub and floor on top.
Rotted deck replaced in Longview
Rot through the deck framing, not just the boards. Rebuilt in composite with a new cap on the existing rail so it does not come back.
Dry Rot Repair questions in Longview
My bathroom floor is soft in front of the tub. Is that rot?
Almost always. Older tubs and tile surrounds leak a little for years and the water sits in the subfloor. On a Longview job the tub came out and the subfloor and the bottom of the pocket door framing were gone. None of it showed until the tub was out.
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 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.
Do you repair rotted decks in Longview or only replace them?
Both. A deck with sound framing and rotted boards gets new boards. A deck with rot in the ledger, joists or posts gets rebuilt, because that is what is holding it up. One Longview deck had rot through the framing and was replaced with composite so it does not come back.
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 licensed and insured for rot repair in Longview?
Yes. Washington license JAMESHC764LM, bonded and insured, thirty years in the trade, owner on the job every day.
Dry Rot Repair in Longview and Cowlitz County
James Hurula Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor (JAMESHC764LM) based in Kalama, serving Longview and Cowlitz County on every kind of job on this page. I also work in Kelso, Castle Rock, Kalama, Woodland, Cathlamet, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield. Thirty years of field experience, owner on site.
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Call for a free same-day estimate. No pressure, no obligation. (360) 431-9382.