Roofing & Exterior
When the Rot Reaches the Structure
Sheathing, framing, and dry rot don't announce themselves until a project opens the wall. We document what we find, correct the source, and restore the structure — bringing in an engineer when the load-bearing wood is involved.
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Signs to watch
Is this you?
A siding or roof job opened the wall and it's worse underneath
Rot hides behind cladding until a project exposes it. Soft sheathing, black framing, or crumbling wood behind the siding means the water has been getting in longer than anyone thought.
Soft, spongy, or discolored wood in the structure
Dry rot is a fungus that eats the wood's strength while leaving the surface looking almost normal. By the time it's spongy to the touch, the board has already lost the load it was there to carry.
A wall, floor, or roofline that doesn't feel solid
Sagging, flexing, or movement where the structure should be firm can mean the framing underneath is compromised. That's the point where we stop guessing and get eyes — and sometimes an engineer — on it in person.
Persistent leaks that keep coming back
Rot is downstream of water. If a spot keeps getting wet, the wood behind it has almost certainly started to go — and patching the surface without correcting the source just buries the damage.
Your options
Correct the source, restore the structure
Structural rot is a discovery job — you rarely know the full extent until the wall is open, so we work in the open and document as we go. We map how far the rot has traveled through sheathing and framing, photograph it, and trace back to the water source that caused it, because replacing rotted wood without correcting the leak just resets the clock. Repairs to sheathing and non-critical framing we handle directly; when the compromised wood is load-bearing — a rim joist, a header, a bearing wall, a rafter — we bring a structural engineer into it rather than eyeball a repair the house depends on. Because the true extent is hidden until we open things up, this is honest change-order work: we scope what we can see, and any expansion into newly discovered rot is documented and approved with photos before we proceed.
The method
How we do it
- 01
Discovery and documentation
We open the affected area, probe how far the rot runs through sheathing and framing, and photograph everything — then trace back to the water source that fed it.
- 02
Structural review and scope
Non-critical repairs we scope directly; where load-bearing framing is involved, a structural engineer reviews it in person before any repair is designed. You see the extent before you approve it.
- 03
Source correction and restoration
We fix why the wood got wet, replace the compromised sheathing and framing, and restore the exterior over it — with change orders documented in writing as hidden rot is uncovered.
Straight numbers
Why structural rot is priced by discovery
Structural rot can't be honestly quoted flat before the wall is open, because the visible damage is almost always smaller than the full extent — the rot follows the water, and the water travels where you can't see it. We price what we can document, then handle expansion through written change orders as more is uncovered, so you approve each step against photos rather than getting a padded worst-case number up front. Where a structural engineer is needed to specify a load-bearing repair, that review is its own line item and worth every dollar — an engineered fix to framing the house depends on is not the place to save money. The honest version costs more than a cosmetic patch and far less than the collapse a patch invites.
Where we do this work
Sheathing & Structural Rot Repair: straight answers
Can you tell me the full cost before you open the wall?
Not honestly — and anyone who does is guessing. Structural rot follows the water into places you can't see from outside, so the visible damage is usually the smaller part. We scope what we can document, then handle whatever's underneath through written change orders you approve with photos as we go.
What's the difference between dry rot and regular water damage?
Dry rot is a wood-decay fungus that keeps eating the wood's structural strength even after the wood dries, hollowing it out while the surface can still look intact. Ordinary water damage stains and softens; dry rot destroys load capacity. That's why we probe rather than trust appearance, and why load-bearing rot gets an engineer.
Do you bring in a structural engineer?
When the compromised wood is load-bearing — a header, rim joist, bearing wall, or rafter — yes. We're not going to eyeball a repair the structure depends on. For sheathing and non-critical framing we handle it directly. We'll tell you which category yours is after we see it in person.
If you just replace the rotted wood, will it come back?
It will if the water source isn't corrected — rot is downstream of a leak, and new wood rots exactly like old wood if it keeps getting wet. That's why source correction is part of the job, not an add-on: we fix why it got wet before we close the wall back up.
Get the sheathing & structural rot repair conversation started.
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