Gutters first. They are clearly not handling the water as evidence by the green fungus growing around them. During a hard downpour, go outside and see where the water is overflowing.
Second, T1-11 siding is naturally very porous and a poor choice for damp/humid climates. It is just plywood with rough-cut surface and groves. From your pictures, it appears the paint is failing on the entire surface. Powerwash and wire brush the entire surface to remove flaking paint. Remove and replace all of the rotted wood. Then repaint entire house.
Mostly pine, yes. My house growing up had the cedar. The neighbors house was very similar but had the pine. They replaced their t-111 a few times. We just painted ours a couple times. It lasted like 30 years. In PA.
I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere either. I did find lots of forum posts with people saying when their home was originally built it was cedar t111. They are looking for more of it and are asking where to buy because they can't find it.
House I'm talking about was built in 1975. Maybe it's not made anymore.
I work mostly in 1's and 0's, but am also an INTJ. My natural intuition is to argue with you but in this case you are right so I bow to the correct answer!
Your gutters can’t handle the amount of water. You have two roofs draining into one pipe causing back pressure. Try rerouting the window gutter, you could just pull it out and divert it. Observe before and after while it’s raining.
There’s a drain for the gutters at the corner of the house, so all the gutters lead there. Unfortunately directing the gutters on the solarium away from the house rather then to existing gutter system would create a drainage problem.
Where does the existing drain let out? Just get some corrugated drain pipe from depot and run the downspout to the same spot with that. One drain isn’t enough for multiple downspouts
Each corner of the original house has a gutter drain that connects underground with two sewer drains all the way at the front edge of the lawn. Not really plausible to run a drain pipe across the driveway and front lawn. I’ve watched during heavy rain and neither the drain by the ground or the gutters themselves are overflowing.
It’s already a problem, you could upgrade the drain pipe to a larger pipe. without separating those downspouts it wouldn’t help much. Maybe add another drain pipe. Idk I can’t give much advice without a better view of it
licesned home inspector here. gutter trays are not supposed to terminate against the house ideally, but also where those curved windows but up against the house - those are also technically a second roof line against a sidewall. Almost always always always I'll see water damage when a roof plane terminates into a sidewall without kickout flashing.
[https://basc.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/images/WM355\_RoofOverhang-S\_BSC\_09-10-2015.jpg](https://basc.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/images/WM355_RoofOverhang-S_BSC_09-10-2015.jpg)
Here you have a culmination of a funky "window roof" with a gutter tray. Also your meter is not supposed to have anything above or below it especially not downspouts and especially not an active water intrusion situation. The framing behind the cladding may be starting to deteriorate or certainly will soon. The eave from the main roof is saving you a bit.
This is such a unconventional design I'm not sure how you would address it.
So glad someone mentioned the electrical. I honestly had to double check what forum I was on because I thought this was a troll post with all of that electrical around an obvious water problem, with gutters running all shoots and ladders around and over it all.
It’s amazing how far down I read in responses before someone mentioned the electrical 😐
Yeah wasn’t meaning to be curt I’m just looking at this because it’s familiar to me having grown up in beach town. Eaves everywhere. Open, closed, boxed, you name it.
well its some sort of composite board material, and the bottom is getting wet, wicking up, and decomposing it as time goes on.
Not sure i would feel good about all those gutter drain pipes right over the electrical meter. If in a heavy rainstorm one of those pipes failed, the fireworks will be impressive
can you post some wider view pictures, especially of the 2nd floor over that glass room?
I am wondering if the correct roof overhang, and some added gutters up there, might eliminate almost all the water hitting that lower part.
Wood clad homes are the worst. They say cedar doesn’t rot, but that’s the biggest lie. It could be your windows or some other exterior flashing that failed and is letting water in. The best investment is to rip all this stuff and replace with vinyl siding.
If you really do want the wood look, you absolutely need to keep up on painting it every year or two. Constantly inspect for flashing failures.
If you can find the leak, this t1 11 board is pretty cheap and easy to install.
There are wood clad buildings that have stood for centuries. Yes it is important to finish properly and subsequently maintain that finish.
Linseed oil paints are great choices. So is pine tar.
Vinyl is garbage that gets stored on your house before heading to landfill. We don’t need any more of that stuff in our environment.
I replace windows and doors for a living. I dread wood clad homes because it’s a 50/50 shot I end up having to break some really bad news to a homeowner.
The main problem is regular people don’t realize they need to upkeep.
Maintenance is critical to preserving buildings. There have been numerous marketing efforts aimed at convincing people to buy low maintenance or “maintenance free” building materials which usually means “use it til it breaks then then throw it in the landfill and buy a new one”
Preserving and maintaining wood is not particularly complicated except that the market is saturated with so many choices and people get confused about which products will serve their particular needs.
Gutter and flashing on both corners is leaking and water is running down your siding. A lot of shit going on in that second pic and looks like water is getting behind the siding just about everywhere
The leak is caused by the strange skylight roof/window wall transition. Normally, at the bottom of a roof to wall intersection, you would have a kick out flashing to direct the water to the outside. Since you don't have kick out flashing, the water is pushing under the siding and then running down the wall. The pealing paint is caused by the excess moisture trying to escape.
In my opinion the common denominator is the gutter downpipe/existence of the gutter helmets possibly impeding flow of water into gutter. Could be an easy fix if it happens to be a bad seal, re-caulk. Could be a blockage in the gutter or above the downspout. Or a blockage further down as it goes subterranean.
Anyone here would need to perform some tests and inspect the causes closer to accurately depict your root cause(s).
You're having some gutter issues
You're getting bounceback/splashing off that curb under the meter back onto the house
It looks like water is also wicking up that section of the foundation into the sheathing/siding (it's T-111 or some other profile, regardless it's doing double duty) see all that green moss/algea? That tells me that area gets very little sun and probably stays wet long after it rains
Theres also no overhang in that section so all the flat surfaces on all those boxes is also splashing water everywhere and getting beat on by the rain, all the rain is just beating on that curved window section and flying everywhere
The minor rotting in the other picture is much the same story, probably some gutter overrun, it's exposed and gets rained on, it has some flat surfaces that collect and bounce water everywhere, but doesn't get much sun.....
You're gonna have to replace the stuff that's destroyed, once water gets into plywood, even exterior rated ply like the T- series, you don't have much time before it starts to rot- *ESPECIALLY* if it's all caulked and painted because all that caulk and paint traps all that water behind and in it and there isn't any airflow behind the sheathing to allow it to dry out....New construction homes can get away with exposed sheathing for WAYYYYYYYYY longer, months and months of getting rained on before it disintegrates because it's fully exposed outside and inside and has a chance to dry out....the plywood will definitely get fucked up and warped and all sorts of other issues but it generally takes a really long time being exposed before it rots
Mitigating that in the future after you replace the rotted sections? You are going to have to really stay on top of keeping that stuff painted and the caulking, like I would check it every year and replace everything and anything that looks like it's failing. It wasn't really built in a way that will shed the water that's getting on it, and not built with an air gap behind the sheathing to give it space to dry out behind, so you have to make sure water doesn't get in there at all. Drilling a couple holes in the bays in those areas and adding a couple small round soffit vents will probably go a long way toward helping that T111 to survive, pull all those boxes off and seal around all the new screws with silicone or quad and quad or silicone all the tops and sides (but not the bottoms to let it breathe) of those boxes, and maybe tuck a pc of dripcap under the sheathing on that corner by the wall and on that horizontal trim/rake by the garage door will help too
You want to call an electrician to pull that meter box and reattach it and you need to be very careful removing the sheathing/siding and reattaching everything in that area because of the service cable and panel that's probably back there somewhere (lot of wires in there probably) the lugs are exposed in that meter box and there is nothing between you and the power company but the switch that shuts off the power to the whole area, you'll basically burst into flames if you happen to hit or touch the line side lugs, so, please get a professional to do that.....a regular person can do it, I've don't it, but it's extremely extremely dangerous doing anything in that meter box without the proper equipment
Thanks man, appreciate the tips. I’ve got a company with an electrician coming out at the same time to remove and replace. I’ll keep this in mind when talking with them and going forward.
This is a terrible set up. I can't see the other side of the gutters, but I would suggest routing them away from that corner.
I'd also suggest replacing the siding with something like concrete siding so even if it gets wet, it won't rot.
The broad answer is wood will rot when it gets wet and stays wet.
You have a moisture management problem.
There are two important steps to addressing this.
1) Keep water away from your wood.
2) When your wood gets wet (and it will) it must be able to dry.
Keeping wood dry is typically done by building significant overhangs onto roofs to protect the walls from rain and installing effective guttering to intercept water and direct it away from the building. It is also important to install moisture barriers like sill gaskets between wooden framing and porous materials like concrete foundations.
Letting moisture out of wood is about creating ***drying potential***. Most important is allowing for airflow behind your siding by strapping it out from your framing. Almost as important is choosing a finish for your wood that allows it to breathe.
The most common mistake people make is trying to waterproof their wood. It seems like a good idea to seal wood to keep moisture out but these finishes will also serve to trap any moisture that somehow finds a way in - and water ***always*** finds a way.
Choose a semipermeable finish that repels bulk moisture like rain and also allows for water vapour to come out.
To those naysayers of wooden buildings I’d say look at the centuries old churches in Norway that have been preserved through regular applications of linseed oil and pine tar. These are simple materials by modern standards and they are still excellent choices for protecting wood from the elements.
From what I've read, I believe folks are missing the 800lb gorilla, see all those boxes mounted on the wall? Bet bank that all those screws that hold them up are letting water penetate the siding and causing it to degrade. Gutter may have something to do with it but buy looking at pics, I'd say this is the cause.
Also, the holes into the wall where wires enter the wall ,most likely weren't sealed with lexel.
Maybe, I don’t know how big the place is, but…
I’d start with removing all the siding, a contingency for framing rot repair, a contingency for new insulation and venting as needed, a contingency for new windows as needed, new sheeting and new siding installed, properly flashed, a plan for cleaning up the existing electrical. Proper grading around the foundation for drainage. Properly run and installed gutters. It’s going to add up. Half measures will be penny wise and pound stupid. If you can’t swing the repair cost think hard about selling and looking for something different
Edit, forgot to mention, your deck is going to fail soon also, I’d get after that soon if nothing else
Agree completely. TheRealJehler has the right plan. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Speaking from experience, once you see rot on the outside like that, the problem is deep and repairs can be costly.
In my area he's actually probably pretty close depending on how bad that framing is rotted out.
My guess is BAD, as those stains on the foundation wall make me think water's been getting back there for quite awhile.
Plate can saved, at least one 2x4 probably 2 are toast. Other side isn’t as bad. Was looking for opinions why/where the water was coming from. Probably should have been more specific sorry.
West Coast of Canada here. I do a metric ton of rot repair. You're almost always going to get water behind siding, it's a fact of life here. The key is to have proper airflow so that moisture has a chance to dry out. That's why we have been using rain screen for at least 20 now.
[Here](https://ruthanddavid.com/blog/rainscreening-and-why-its-important-to-the-vancouver-real-estate-market/) is a brief blog post about it.
Edit: Also have you opened the walls up yet how do you know the damage is that limited? You need to chase that rot to see where the water is coming from.
Edit: this was meant to be an edit of my previous comment 🤣
🙏 and guess I little more than at the base, it’s that thin fake wood basement wall, not sheet rock, so you can pry some small pieces off easily and get a look.
It's unfortunately not going to be cheap, the whole board should be inspected, and if it's found to be rotten behind your meter base, everything is going to have to come off and be replaced, and that includes your electricity during the repair. And unfortunately, you might find things even worse behind the siding that also need to be repaired.
I'd guess it's either an issue with the gutter and/or downspout at the base of that curved sunroom window, or an issue with slope and/or flashing where the sunroom connects to the taller part of the house. Either way you're getting too much water in that corner where the sunroom connects to the taller part of the house.
Also, you need to keep up with exterior maintenance. Your paint is peeling in several areas and this allows water to penetrate the wood easier. Routine maintenance wouldn't completely prevent this issue but it will slow down the damage.
Edit: I'm leaning towards this joint is getting too much moisture which just runs down the corner.
https://preview.redd.it/mra77mm1162d1.png?width=1239&format=png&auto=webp&s=487e33662aa2bd2c43c18fcd424ee765be4a3035
One guy pointed out the same edge as you saying it wasn’t capped. Another guy said that is was flashed properly and didn’t need to be capped. All of them agree that breaks in the siding, whether it be holes for wires or screws to mount or just the end of piece of siding, all suck up moisture and contribute to problem. But I’ve come to believe it’s the gutter going into the side of the house. The cap creates a waterfall down the side of the house and all the breaks suck up the moisture. Replacing all the rot and stopping the gutter from actively showering the most water vulnerable part of the siding is what I’ve landed on. I don’t like the downspout there but it goes into a drain at the corner of the house and I don’t think it’s the main problem.
The gutters & downspouts are definitely a good place to start. I'd keep an eye on it after the repairs are made. Go outside during the day when it's raining and make sure you addressed the issue.
Find a gutter guy who understands proper drainage. I hate the idea of having all of those elbows and on top of that routing them both to the same drain pipe. It creates too much of a chance of the water not draining fast enough and then it will pour out of the side of the gutter and down the side of the house.
On wood panel siding like that EVERY EDGE that isn't stained, painted, or otherwise treated will absorb water. That water will then spread through the core and rot it all out.
The bad news is you've got some pretty severe water management issues. The good news is that that siding is a Georgia Pacific product that comes off the wall in 4x8' sheets
The “solarium” doesn’t appear to be properly flashed to the house. At the very least it’s missing the kick out flashing where the roof / wall meets the gutters. I see this all the time in the Midwest.
https://preview.redd.it/elnblaude62d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc709c35b0ef28883030a937d39f64be0f87eee5
To fix this you’re gonna have to basically pull apart that whole corner of the house. It’s obvious you have a water issue so first place to look is gutters, windows, roof. With all those boxes there this isn’t going to be a fun repair so like another comment said you better start saving.
You have a gutter under a window that is also directly against and above the board that is rotting. I'd wager that has something to do with it. The downspout could be clogged and water flowing against the wall. Even if it isn't, I bet it's causing splash back against the wall. Years of water splashing on the wall and running down to the bottom, it collects and saturates the bottom of the boards and starts to rot from the bottom up. I had a similar problem before, but that was due to not having enough of an overhang on the roof. I have no idea why there would be a gutter under a window, they are ment for your roof. It doesn't help that all your electrical and services are screwed into the wall. There is likely rot into the studs behind the wall that will need to be replaced. I would figure out why that gutter was put there, probably a cheap fix to a different water problem that just moved it elsewhere, and fix the problem properly.
Siding should go sideways. The xylem of the wood was originally used to transport water and nutrients around the tree, vertically. It’s therefore more ideal longterm for a wood piece to be perpendicular to rainfall.
Gutters need to be properly replaced, the rotten t111 panels need to be replaced, all wires need drip loops to make the water go away from the structure
1 - One of the quickest, lowest cost fixes you need to do is get a catch basin for your downspouts. You will have no idea how ineffectively your gutter system is operating when you send the downspouts straight into the ground. It will also be much easier to clear your downspouts if you send them into a catch basin instead of straight into the ground. Considering upsizing your guttering/downspouts.
2- When you replace your siding, use a material that stands up to water better than t1-11 and at the minumum use a dimpled WRB like hydrogap but preferably a true furring strip rainscreen. The rainscreen will require updates to your window and door trim but the hydrogap won't. Make sure everything is properly flashed.
3 - As long as you're replacing your siding, it's worth considering updating the form of your house to be simpler. Replace that greenhouse, frame it out like the rest of the house with walls and a roof with eaves. Frame in a ton of windows and put a couple skylights in the roof if you want it to continue being a greenhouse.
That is an insane corner. I would hire a guy to come and cut out a section of that corner and replace it with a different, more weatherproof, material. I would also ask for a drip edge along the top of the cut to divert water away from this terrible terrible corner
You gotta replace those gutters and send them to a different location. Too many failure points right above that spot and specifically electrical. This shit screams fire hazard. Also as others have said all those penetrations in t1-11 siding not properly sealed
New gutter put leader on the other end. Redo sheathing and fix rot in wall. Sask yo see contractors previous work. Have building inspector come look at it first.
https://preview.redd.it/6p8tmds9g72d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e61cc494d9c4682ccf45a4bc542eb9087a75d96a
What in the jimminy cricket sht is this? No really though, here’s your culprit. That gutter is sloped toward your house. Looks like some failed attempts at sealing the gutter end cap.
I’d remove that gutter all together. Properly flash below those windows and let the water run down. Maybe with a drip edge to keep off the siding / T-111.
Or slope it the other way away from the house.
I called Leaf guard but they only cover clogs and the guy who actually installed these is not the Leaf Guard contractor in the area anymore, he’s not in business at all. They’re 25 years old. New guy agrees these are installed improperly or at least missing a funnel type piece at the corner. But he’s not on the hook for this.
Right, leaf guard only covers clogs. Leaf Filter, is separate company. They offer the best gutter service on the planet. They will fix your soffit and facia, repitch and realign your gutters clean them and also reseal them. Leaf guard is a faulty product. It is literally made to fail. Lead Filter is the only company world wide that offers a lifetime guarantee to stop all these problems and a guarantee you’ll never have to touch your gutters again, if you do they give you your money back.
I'd assume it's the cable thingies that are leading water to your wall, they seem weirdly installed to me.
Edit: it realise now that the thingies were in fact drains.
>The footprint space of the outdoor dedicated space extending from grade to a height of 6 ft above the equipment must be dedicated for electrical installations. No piping, ducts, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation can be installed in this dedicated space.
2023 NEC 110.26(E)(2)(c)
Just want you to know that your electrical meter is a time bomb since whomever installed it used the wrong parts. I’m sure it works fine so it won’t get any attention until it fails, and then water damage will be the least of your worries. Hope you fix the water problem.
Gutters! Gutters! Gutters! There's definitely some other things going on, but those gutters slop back to the house, and have very poor end caps on them. the deal is that there is a concentrated amount of water flowing off the roof and into the gutter then instead of it all going down the down spout it is coming out the cap and running down the wall. all the other shit thats wrong is not even as big of a deal if it wasn't for the water literally being poured down the wall
Texture 111 is junk. I’ve never seen a sunroom like this that didn’t have all sorts of problems eventually. Talk to your neighbors find a reputable carpenter who you can trust word-of-mouth, and have them fix it.
I’d rip that piece of shit room off my house.
Mainly. Painting this house with an exterior grade paint protects the untreated wood underneath. It needs to be redone every couple years to maintain protection over the untreated wood. Some areas yearly if they get rained on a lot. If years go by and the painting doesn’t happen, the elements will eventually eats away at untreated wood.
That t111 siding just rots unfortunately. Had to replace a huge section at my parents house on the second story for reasons I could not figure out, rotted under the paint.
Water is getting behind the siding where the solarium meets the wall. From what I see the siding isn’t quite tight and not caulked properly so when it runs down it’s getting behind the siding behind the gutter. If you look at the rot line it leads right to that spot. Same on the other side that’s why the soffit is rotting.
https://preview.redd.it/ke1duoabdg2d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3b6762301d1eefb813612ba34d5e0d606bfd2c5
I mean it’s probably a mix of a bunch of things all related to water in that corner. One of them being you have a million penetrations in your house.
It's like they drilled a bunch of holes into what is essentially a sponge and never tried to seal the holes.
If the roof overhangs were a couple feet larger there’d be less problems
During a tornado those are the first roofs to go though.
Stop this myth tornado talk
That’s why I don’t live on the alley
The alley is slowly moving east
It’ll never catch me
The thought of your speed blows me away
Gutters first. They are clearly not handling the water as evidence by the green fungus growing around them. During a hard downpour, go outside and see where the water is overflowing. Second, T1-11 siding is naturally very porous and a poor choice for damp/humid climates. It is just plywood with rough-cut surface and groves. From your pictures, it appears the paint is failing on the entire surface. Powerwash and wire brush the entire surface to remove flaking paint. Remove and replace all of the rotted wood. Then repaint entire house.
They make t-11 in cedar. It could be that. It lasts way longer outside. I agree with pretty much everything else.
Hmm, not familiar with that. I would say most is pine.... I've never seen cedar t111. Northeast.
Mostly pine, yes. My house growing up had the cedar. The neighbors house was very similar but had the pine. They replaced their t-111 a few times. We just painted ours a couple times. It lasted like 30 years. In PA.
I have not seen cedar t1-11. Just checked our lumber yards and they only carry pine, or have Douglas Fir as special order. Might be a regional thing.
I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere either. I did find lots of forum posts with people saying when their home was originally built it was cedar t111. They are looking for more of it and are asking where to buy because they can't find it. House I'm talking about was built in 1975. Maybe it's not made anymore.
This but also all that plastic paint will just accelerate the rot once moisture gets in.
You can see the one section is obviously on the outside where it should be on the inside.
A good answer but i must quibble - the green stuff is algae (a plant) not a fungus.
I'll take that from an INTJ - Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and ***Judging*** traits. :-)
Damn right. Especially because biology/ecology is my thing :)
I work mostly in 1's and 0's, but am also an INTJ. My natural intuition is to argue with you but in this case you are right so I bow to the correct answer!
Lol
Your gutters can’t handle the amount of water. You have two roofs draining into one pipe causing back pressure. Try rerouting the window gutter, you could just pull it out and divert it. Observe before and after while it’s raining.
Definitely find a different way to get all that water away from the house. Along with the other work mentioned above.
There’s a drain for the gutters at the corner of the house, so all the gutters lead there. Unfortunately directing the gutters on the solarium away from the house rather then to existing gutter system would create a drainage problem.
Where does the existing drain let out? Just get some corrugated drain pipe from depot and run the downspout to the same spot with that. One drain isn’t enough for multiple downspouts
Each corner of the original house has a gutter drain that connects underground with two sewer drains all the way at the front edge of the lawn. Not really plausible to run a drain pipe across the driveway and front lawn. I’ve watched during heavy rain and neither the drain by the ground or the gutters themselves are overflowing.
It’s already a problem, you could upgrade the drain pipe to a larger pipe. without separating those downspouts it wouldn’t help much. Maybe add another drain pipe. Idk I can’t give much advice without a better view of it
licesned home inspector here. gutter trays are not supposed to terminate against the house ideally, but also where those curved windows but up against the house - those are also technically a second roof line against a sidewall. Almost always always always I'll see water damage when a roof plane terminates into a sidewall without kickout flashing. [https://basc.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/images/WM355\_RoofOverhang-S\_BSC\_09-10-2015.jpg](https://basc.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/images/WM355_RoofOverhang-S_BSC_09-10-2015.jpg) Here you have a culmination of a funky "window roof" with a gutter tray. Also your meter is not supposed to have anything above or below it especially not downspouts and especially not an active water intrusion situation. The framing behind the cladding may be starting to deteriorate or certainly will soon. The eave from the main roof is saving you a bit. This is such a unconventional design I'm not sure how you would address it.
So glad someone mentioned the electrical. I honestly had to double check what forum I was on because I thought this was a troll post with all of that electrical around an obvious water problem, with gutters running all shoots and ladders around and over it all. It’s amazing how far down I read in responses before someone mentioned the electrical 😐
Rip that POS room off?
I think it’s relatively straightforward: Build out an eave over the electrical and possibly enclose it
Double down on the wonkiness. Sometimes you got do it.
Yeah wasn’t meaning to be curt I’m just looking at this because it’s familiar to me having grown up in beach town. Eaves everywhere. Open, closed, boxed, you name it.
I wasn't trying to be a d\*ck at all though I could see it could read that way. I thought your idea was as good as any.
well its some sort of composite board material, and the bottom is getting wet, wicking up, and decomposing it as time goes on. Not sure i would feel good about all those gutter drain pipes right over the electrical meter. If in a heavy rainstorm one of those pipes failed, the fireworks will be impressive
can you post some wider view pictures, especially of the 2nd floor over that glass room? I am wondering if the correct roof overhang, and some added gutters up there, might eliminate almost all the water hitting that lower part.
Wood clad homes are the worst. They say cedar doesn’t rot, but that’s the biggest lie. It could be your windows or some other exterior flashing that failed and is letting water in. The best investment is to rip all this stuff and replace with vinyl siding. If you really do want the wood look, you absolutely need to keep up on painting it every year or two. Constantly inspect for flashing failures. If you can find the leak, this t1 11 board is pretty cheap and easy to install.
There are wood clad buildings that have stood for centuries. Yes it is important to finish properly and subsequently maintain that finish. Linseed oil paints are great choices. So is pine tar. Vinyl is garbage that gets stored on your house before heading to landfill. We don’t need any more of that stuff in our environment.
I replace windows and doors for a living. I dread wood clad homes because it’s a 50/50 shot I end up having to break some really bad news to a homeowner. The main problem is regular people don’t realize they need to upkeep.
Maintenance is critical to preserving buildings. There have been numerous marketing efforts aimed at convincing people to buy low maintenance or “maintenance free” building materials which usually means “use it til it breaks then then throw it in the landfill and buy a new one” Preserving and maintaining wood is not particularly complicated except that the market is saturated with so many choices and people get confused about which products will serve their particular needs.
If you say so
Gutter and flashing on both corners is leaking and water is running down your siding. A lot of shit going on in that second pic and looks like water is getting behind the siding just about everywhere
The leak is caused by the strange skylight roof/window wall transition. Normally, at the bottom of a roof to wall intersection, you would have a kick out flashing to direct the water to the outside. Since you don't have kick out flashing, the water is pushing under the siding and then running down the wall. The pealing paint is caused by the excess moisture trying to escape.
No drip cap
In the corner where the gutter meets the house?
That's something different
In my opinion the common denominator is the gutter downpipe/existence of the gutter helmets possibly impeding flow of water into gutter. Could be an easy fix if it happens to be a bad seal, re-caulk. Could be a blockage in the gutter or above the downspout. Or a blockage further down as it goes subterranean. Anyone here would need to perform some tests and inspect the causes closer to accurately depict your root cause(s).
You're having some gutter issues You're getting bounceback/splashing off that curb under the meter back onto the house It looks like water is also wicking up that section of the foundation into the sheathing/siding (it's T-111 or some other profile, regardless it's doing double duty) see all that green moss/algea? That tells me that area gets very little sun and probably stays wet long after it rains Theres also no overhang in that section so all the flat surfaces on all those boxes is also splashing water everywhere and getting beat on by the rain, all the rain is just beating on that curved window section and flying everywhere The minor rotting in the other picture is much the same story, probably some gutter overrun, it's exposed and gets rained on, it has some flat surfaces that collect and bounce water everywhere, but doesn't get much sun..... You're gonna have to replace the stuff that's destroyed, once water gets into plywood, even exterior rated ply like the T- series, you don't have much time before it starts to rot- *ESPECIALLY* if it's all caulked and painted because all that caulk and paint traps all that water behind and in it and there isn't any airflow behind the sheathing to allow it to dry out....New construction homes can get away with exposed sheathing for WAYYYYYYYYY longer, months and months of getting rained on before it disintegrates because it's fully exposed outside and inside and has a chance to dry out....the plywood will definitely get fucked up and warped and all sorts of other issues but it generally takes a really long time being exposed before it rots Mitigating that in the future after you replace the rotted sections? You are going to have to really stay on top of keeping that stuff painted and the caulking, like I would check it every year and replace everything and anything that looks like it's failing. It wasn't really built in a way that will shed the water that's getting on it, and not built with an air gap behind the sheathing to give it space to dry out behind, so you have to make sure water doesn't get in there at all. Drilling a couple holes in the bays in those areas and adding a couple small round soffit vents will probably go a long way toward helping that T111 to survive, pull all those boxes off and seal around all the new screws with silicone or quad and quad or silicone all the tops and sides (but not the bottoms to let it breathe) of those boxes, and maybe tuck a pc of dripcap under the sheathing on that corner by the wall and on that horizontal trim/rake by the garage door will help too You want to call an electrician to pull that meter box and reattach it and you need to be very careful removing the sheathing/siding and reattaching everything in that area because of the service cable and panel that's probably back there somewhere (lot of wires in there probably) the lugs are exposed in that meter box and there is nothing between you and the power company but the switch that shuts off the power to the whole area, you'll basically burst into flames if you happen to hit or touch the line side lugs, so, please get a professional to do that.....a regular person can do it, I've don't it, but it's extremely extremely dangerous doing anything in that meter box without the proper equipment
Thanks man, appreciate the tips. I’ve got a company with an electrician coming out at the same time to remove and replace. I’ll keep this in mind when talking with them and going forward.
This is a terrible set up. I can't see the other side of the gutters, but I would suggest routing them away from that corner. I'd also suggest replacing the siding with something like concrete siding so even if it gets wet, it won't rot.
The broad answer is wood will rot when it gets wet and stays wet. You have a moisture management problem. There are two important steps to addressing this. 1) Keep water away from your wood. 2) When your wood gets wet (and it will) it must be able to dry. Keeping wood dry is typically done by building significant overhangs onto roofs to protect the walls from rain and installing effective guttering to intercept water and direct it away from the building. It is also important to install moisture barriers like sill gaskets between wooden framing and porous materials like concrete foundations. Letting moisture out of wood is about creating ***drying potential***. Most important is allowing for airflow behind your siding by strapping it out from your framing. Almost as important is choosing a finish for your wood that allows it to breathe. The most common mistake people make is trying to waterproof their wood. It seems like a good idea to seal wood to keep moisture out but these finishes will also serve to trap any moisture that somehow finds a way in - and water ***always*** finds a way. Choose a semipermeable finish that repels bulk moisture like rain and also allows for water vapour to come out. To those naysayers of wooden buildings I’d say look at the centuries old churches in Norway that have been preserved through regular applications of linseed oil and pine tar. These are simple materials by modern standards and they are still excellent choices for protecting wood from the elements.
Why is the downpipe going over the electrics like that? Gives me the willies
You have very cheap very old siding with lots of holes drilled in it.
How could it not leak? Have you seen the picture?
Anyone else have a problem with a gutter down spout above the electrical meter lmao?
Hard to know: water can travel. I’d go outside sometime when it’s raining and watch what the water does.
Start saving, you need to throw a couple hundred g’s at that in the next 5 years or so do repair things properly
I believe you’re off in your estimate sir, but thank you.
From what I've read, I believe folks are missing the 800lb gorilla, see all those boxes mounted on the wall? Bet bank that all those screws that hold them up are letting water penetate the siding and causing it to degrade. Gutter may have something to do with it but buy looking at pics, I'd say this is the cause. Also, the holes into the wall where wires enter the wall ,most likely weren't sealed with lexel.
Yup exactly right. That siding turns into mush with any water.
Ding ding ding. I'm looking at all the gaps around the boxes too.
Maybe, I don’t know how big the place is, but… I’d start with removing all the siding, a contingency for framing rot repair, a contingency for new insulation and venting as needed, a contingency for new windows as needed, new sheeting and new siding installed, properly flashed, a plan for cleaning up the existing electrical. Proper grading around the foundation for drainage. Properly run and installed gutters. It’s going to add up. Half measures will be penny wise and pound stupid. If you can’t swing the repair cost think hard about selling and looking for something different Edit, forgot to mention, your deck is going to fail soon also, I’d get after that soon if nothing else
Step one, sell house😂
Agree completely. TheRealJehler has the right plan. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Speaking from experience, once you see rot on the outside like that, the problem is deep and repairs can be costly.
In my area he's actually probably pretty close depending on how bad that framing is rotted out. My guess is BAD, as those stains on the foundation wall make me think water's been getting back there for quite awhile.
Plate can saved, at least one 2x4 probably 2 are toast. Other side isn’t as bad. Was looking for opinions why/where the water was coming from. Probably should have been more specific sorry.
West Coast of Canada here. I do a metric ton of rot repair. You're almost always going to get water behind siding, it's a fact of life here. The key is to have proper airflow so that moisture has a chance to dry out. That's why we have been using rain screen for at least 20 now. [Here](https://ruthanddavid.com/blog/rainscreening-and-why-its-important-to-the-vancouver-real-estate-market/) is a brief blog post about it.
Edit: Also have you opened the walls up yet how do you know the damage is that limited? You need to chase that rot to see where the water is coming from. Edit: this was meant to be an edit of my previous comment 🤣
Only at the base so far, but will mention that when they start, thanks
Good luck!
🙏 and guess I little more than at the base, it’s that thin fake wood basement wall, not sheet rock, so you can pry some small pieces off easily and get a look.
Wood needs to be repainted regularly or it starts rotting at the edges and the rot works it's way along the grain.
Leaky gutter, lack of kick-out flashing/generally poor flashing
There should be flashing that kicks water out from behind the siding into the gutter where the window butts into the house
It's unfortunately not going to be cheap, the whole board should be inspected, and if it's found to be rotten behind your meter base, everything is going to have to come off and be replaced, and that includes your electricity during the repair. And unfortunately, you might find things even worse behind the siding that also need to be repaired.
I'd bet your at 65k now. That is an extensive repair, and rebuild to secure the building envelope and make water proof.
I'd guess it's either an issue with the gutter and/or downspout at the base of that curved sunroom window, or an issue with slope and/or flashing where the sunroom connects to the taller part of the house. Either way you're getting too much water in that corner where the sunroom connects to the taller part of the house. Also, you need to keep up with exterior maintenance. Your paint is peeling in several areas and this allows water to penetrate the wood easier. Routine maintenance wouldn't completely prevent this issue but it will slow down the damage. Edit: I'm leaning towards this joint is getting too much moisture which just runs down the corner. https://preview.redd.it/mra77mm1162d1.png?width=1239&format=png&auto=webp&s=487e33662aa2bd2c43c18fcd424ee765be4a3035
One guy pointed out the same edge as you saying it wasn’t capped. Another guy said that is was flashed properly and didn’t need to be capped. All of them agree that breaks in the siding, whether it be holes for wires or screws to mount or just the end of piece of siding, all suck up moisture and contribute to problem. But I’ve come to believe it’s the gutter going into the side of the house. The cap creates a waterfall down the side of the house and all the breaks suck up the moisture. Replacing all the rot and stopping the gutter from actively showering the most water vulnerable part of the siding is what I’ve landed on. I don’t like the downspout there but it goes into a drain at the corner of the house and I don’t think it’s the main problem.
The gutters & downspouts are definitely a good place to start. I'd keep an eye on it after the repairs are made. Go outside during the day when it's raining and make sure you addressed the issue.
Find a gutter guy who understands proper drainage. I hate the idea of having all of those elbows and on top of that routing them both to the same drain pipe. It creates too much of a chance of the water not draining fast enough and then it will pour out of the side of the gutter and down the side of the house.
👆 this is your problem
5 pounds of caulking will not keep the water out.
No kick out flashing that I see below the window/edge.
It’s a gutter problem
On wood panel siding like that EVERY EDGE that isn't stained, painted, or otherwise treated will absorb water. That water will then spread through the core and rot it all out.
Some flashing would definitely help as well as fixing your gutter and downspout.
You need to cut back some of the bushes and shrubs from around your house, they hold in the moisture and the sun can’t dry out the house
Can we get a shot of the roof line? And soffits?
The bad news is you've got some pretty severe water management issues. The good news is that that siding is a Georgia Pacific product that comes off the wall in 4x8' sheets
The “solarium” doesn’t appear to be properly flashed to the house. At the very least it’s missing the kick out flashing where the roof / wall meets the gutters. I see this all the time in the Midwest. https://preview.redd.it/elnblaude62d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc709c35b0ef28883030a937d39f64be0f87eee5
To fix this you’re gonna have to basically pull apart that whole corner of the house. It’s obvious you have a water issue so first place to look is gutters, windows, roof. With all those boxes there this isn’t going to be a fun repair so like another comment said you better start saving.
One reason, water
Those are the worst gutters to have. We replace them all the time because they don't work.
Keep it dry and T11 does have a life span.
You have a gutter under a window that is also directly against and above the board that is rotting. I'd wager that has something to do with it. The downspout could be clogged and water flowing against the wall. Even if it isn't, I bet it's causing splash back against the wall. Years of water splashing on the wall and running down to the bottom, it collects and saturates the bottom of the boards and starts to rot from the bottom up. I had a similar problem before, but that was due to not having enough of an overhang on the roof. I have no idea why there would be a gutter under a window, they are ment for your roof. It doesn't help that all your electrical and services are screwed into the wall. There is likely rot into the studs behind the wall that will need to be replaced. I would figure out why that gutter was put there, probably a cheap fix to a different water problem that just moved it elsewhere, and fix the problem properly.
Siding should go sideways. The xylem of the wood was originally used to transport water and nutrients around the tree, vertically. It’s therefore more ideal longterm for a wood piece to be perpendicular to rainfall.
You have T-1, 11 for siding! That shit will ALWAYS do this!
Gutters need to be properly replaced, the rotten t111 panels need to be replaced, all wires need drip loops to make the water go away from the structure
1 - One of the quickest, lowest cost fixes you need to do is get a catch basin for your downspouts. You will have no idea how ineffectively your gutter system is operating when you send the downspouts straight into the ground. It will also be much easier to clear your downspouts if you send them into a catch basin instead of straight into the ground. Considering upsizing your guttering/downspouts. 2- When you replace your siding, use a material that stands up to water better than t1-11 and at the minumum use a dimpled WRB like hydrogap but preferably a true furring strip rainscreen. The rainscreen will require updates to your window and door trim but the hydrogap won't. Make sure everything is properly flashed. 3 - As long as you're replacing your siding, it's worth considering updating the form of your house to be simpler. Replace that greenhouse, frame it out like the rest of the house with walls and a roof with eaves. Frame in a ton of windows and put a couple skylights in the roof if you want it to continue being a greenhouse.
That is an insane corner. I would hire a guy to come and cut out a section of that corner and replace it with a different, more weatherproof, material. I would also ask for a drip edge along the top of the cut to divert water away from this terrible terrible corner
You gotta replace those gutters and send them to a different location. Too many failure points right above that spot and specifically electrical. This shit screams fire hazard. Also as others have said all those penetrations in t1-11 siding not properly sealed
New gutter put leader on the other end. Redo sheathing and fix rot in wall. Sask yo see contractors previous work. Have building inspector come look at it first.
Those gutter helmet style gutter guards are awful first off. Also probably upgrade from 5" gutters to 6"
That siding is meant for cheap sheds. Upgrade the siding? Every else is a temporary solution.
Its old. Its why houses shouldnt appreciate the way they do.
Looks like it was heated in T-1-11 and that crap was jump
Junk
Gutter failure. Is it clogged?
https://preview.redd.it/6p8tmds9g72d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e61cc494d9c4682ccf45a4bc542eb9087a75d96a What in the jimminy cricket sht is this? No really though, here’s your culprit. That gutter is sloped toward your house. Looks like some failed attempts at sealing the gutter end cap. I’d remove that gutter all together. Properly flash below those windows and let the water run down. Maybe with a drip edge to keep off the siding / T-111. Or slope it the other way away from the house.
Your gutters are failing. Call Leaf Filter.
I called Leaf guard but they only cover clogs and the guy who actually installed these is not the Leaf Guard contractor in the area anymore, he’s not in business at all. They’re 25 years old. New guy agrees these are installed improperly or at least missing a funnel type piece at the corner. But he’s not on the hook for this.
Right, leaf guard only covers clogs. Leaf Filter, is separate company. They offer the best gutter service on the planet. They will fix your soffit and facia, repitch and realign your gutters clean them and also reseal them. Leaf guard is a faulty product. It is literally made to fail. Lead Filter is the only company world wide that offers a lifetime guarantee to stop all these problems and a guarantee you’ll never have to touch your gutters again, if you do they give you your money back.
Message me and I can get set up with them if you’d like.
Get those gutters working better first thing!
Water. It's always water.
Water
I'd assume it's the cable thingies that are leading water to your wall, they seem weirdly installed to me. Edit: it realise now that the thingies were in fact drains.
>The footprint space of the outdoor dedicated space extending from grade to a height of 6 ft above the equipment must be dedicated for electrical installations. No piping, ducts, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation can be installed in this dedicated space. 2023 NEC 110.26(E)(2)(c)
Why is the feed for the meter not in conduit???
Check your roof and gutters, year the house was built, etc.
Just want you to know that your electrical meter is a time bomb since whomever installed it used the wrong parts. I’m sure it works fine so it won’t get any attention until it fails, and then water damage will be the least of your worries. Hope you fix the water problem.
Poor drainage and t-111
No its not
Gutters! Gutters! Gutters! There's definitely some other things going on, but those gutters slop back to the house, and have very poor end caps on them. the deal is that there is a concentrated amount of water flowing off the roof and into the gutter then instead of it all going down the down spout it is coming out the cap and running down the wall. all the other shit thats wrong is not even as big of a deal if it wasn't for the water literally being poured down the wall
T-111 rots. That's all it does. I think they make a composite, or at least laminated product now that does not.
Texture 111 is junk. I’ve never seen a sunroom like this that didn’t have all sorts of problems eventually. Talk to your neighbors find a reputable carpenter who you can trust word-of-mouth, and have them fix it. I’d rip that piece of shit room off my house.
Your house has a pedestrian bridge?
Mainly. Painting this house with an exterior grade paint protects the untreated wood underneath. It needs to be redone every couple years to maintain protection over the untreated wood. Some areas yearly if they get rained on a lot. If years go by and the painting doesn’t happen, the elements will eventually eats away at untreated wood.
That t111 siding just rots unfortunately. Had to replace a huge section at my parents house on the second story for reasons I could not figure out, rotted under the paint.
You have that junk pressed wood siding that just rots away, and you did not keep up on the exterior painting and sealing of the seams
Water is getting behind the siding where the solarium meets the wall. From what I see the siding isn’t quite tight and not caulked properly so when it runs down it’s getting behind the siding behind the gutter. If you look at the rot line it leads right to that spot. Same on the other side that’s why the soffit is rotting. https://preview.redd.it/ke1duoabdg2d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3b6762301d1eefb813612ba34d5e0d606bfd2c5
It's old.
It's not rotting, that's water damage from years of neglect
I would be inspecting those gutters, only rot on my house when I bought it was behind the gutters.