Advice on Dry Rot Repair

G

glowing1

Confused about dryer sheets
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
8
Location
Los Angeles
Hi:

First of all, thank you to everyone for all the great advice I have received and will receive from this site.

I am a novice homeowner (at 65!). During a termite inspection, the inspector discovered a small patch of dry rot on the exterior of our home. They said they could repair it and would send someone out. In spite of repeated calls, no one has responded or ever shown up, so I need to find someone myself.

What type of person do I need to hire to remove the dry rot, patch it, and paint over it? Will a handyman be good or do I need a licensed contractor?

Thanks for any and all advice. :)
 
Well, depending on the size of the needed repair you might want to think about doing it yourself. If it's something small that can be a project of a few hours or less. The lack of interest from the termite inspector guy may suggest that it's a small job. Can you elaborate on what is rotted and how big it is?

Some areas do have handyman services, you can look online or (showing my age here) even the yellow pages.
 
Thanks Walt34. It is a very small area about 3" by 3" on a wood frame near the garage door on the exterior of my house. I don't want to do it myself because I am not a handy person and the homeowner's association will inspect the work after it is done and I am sure that if I do it the work will not pass inspection. I take it from your reply that this is something a good handyman can do.
 
Yes, it sounds like a small job that any handyman worthy of the name could fix. The small size may make it hard to find someone though. Expect to pay somewhere between $100 and $300 depending on the area, bearing in mind the guy will have to make two trips to your place, once to see what is needed and another to bring the tools/materials, plus going Lowes or Home Depot to get said materials. It's very possible the guy will spend more time driving than doing the actual work and of course he'll legitimately charge for that. Which is also why it may be hard to find someone to do it.

I've done that same repair job myself here and on other houses I've lived in and it really isn't that hard. If you have the tools and know how. Youtube is a wonderful source for showing how to do stuff like that.
 
Thanks Walt34. I have a whole list of things I need a handyman to do, so this sounds like a good time to have one come out. I believe if I have a number of things that need to get done, a handyman will be more interested in coming out.
 
Yes, if you have a number of things to do that may make it worthwhile. Your profile says you live in Los Angeles so there should be lots of them to pick from there.
 
Share pics with your handyman and it'll save you & him time & hopefully $$. More info, the better.

If I was me, I'd cut a replacement pc, then trace it to the bad area & cut it with a multi tool & cut it tightly and use wood filler or bond to smooth it out. Then slap on some paint...
 
If the HOA will inspect then I would ask them for recommendations for a handyman... they usually know the work of people and can give you someone they know will pass inspection...
 
I have documented how I solve the problem with the video below (not monetized).

Basically I take the oscillating tool, get as much rot out as possible, stuff some hard foam in, the cover with Bondo. Works like a charm if you aren't too picky about what it looks like when you're done. You can start fixing it a few hours before the buyer's inspector shows up, LOL!

I did this years ago, and still looks fine.
 
Interesting... but I filled in an area on a fence post with some plastic wood... I think better than bondo as it can be sanded, painted etc... like real wood...


https://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-16-oz-Plastic-Wood-Natural-Solvent-Wood-Filler-21506/100357232


Now I did some wood fix on the boat with some liquid rot something or other that is like an epoxy that soaks into the wood and hardens it... it worked great also.... but more expensive... forget the name but something like Rid-Rot.... I am sure the person who recommended it will chime in if they read this thread...
 
The last 2 posts give me ideas on how to fix that rotted wood I found when I took off the back door threshold. Thanks.
 
3X3 in inches? I wish mine was 3X3 in FEET....
 

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Texas Proud said:
Interesting... but I filled in an area on a fence post with some plastic wood... I think better than bondo as it can be sanded, painted etc... like real wood...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-16-oz-Plastic-Wood-Natural-Solvent-Wood-Filler-21506/100357232

Now I did some wood fix on the boat with some liquid rot something or other that is like an epoxy that soaks into the wood and hardens it... it worked great also.... but more expensive... forget the name but something like Rid-Rot.... I am sure the person who recommended it will chime in if they read this thread...
Click to expand...
There's a "wood hardener", which is a transparent liquid that you can apply. It's supposed to soak in and harden-up soft wood, but I remove as much soft wood as will come off with the oscillating tool. I suppose a bit of the hardener could help at that point, but I've not bothered.

As to other wood fillers, there are plenty that I tried that lasted a very short time. Some got soft, some shrank. If I used anything, it would have to be 100% inorganic. IOW not saw dust with a binder. Bondo doesn't give you much time, but you can file and sand it before it cures fully.
 
Texas Proud said:
If the HOA will inspect then I would ask them for recommendations for a handyman... they usually know the work of people and can give you someone they know will pass inspection...
Click to expand...
+1. If it's their recommended guy, then they'll be less liable to nit-pick the results.
 
 
sengsational said:
I have documented how I solve the problem with the video below (not monetized).

Basically I take the oscillating tool, get as much rot out as possible, stuff some hard foam in, the cover with Bondo. Works like a charm if you aren't too picky about what it looks like when you're done. You can start fixing it a few hours before the buyer's inspector shows up, LOL!

I did this years ago, and still looks fine.
Click to expand...

I thought this looked terrible. Got to the end of your video and am very impressed with your result. And the repair has lasted several years now? Can't argue with results - Good job.
 
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