who do I hire to replace damaged roof support beams
July 10, 2013 11:36 PM Subscribe
Outdoor beams supporting the roof have issues, but who should I call to replace them?
Our house has 3 beams in the front outside which hold up the roof, which sticks out about 3 feet in this section. Those beams have a combination of wood rot and carpenter bees in them, and need to be replaced. Who do I call for this? I know for the roof I call a roofer, and for pipes I call a plumber, but who does beam replacements? Should the new beams be treated lumber?
In addition to the beams, there is also wood rot in the fascia boards around the entire house (the house has built in gutters which clog very easily, and water seeps over the edge throughout a lot of the winter here in Seattle). Is this something that I would have the same person repair, or is this something a roofing company would do, since it's all along the edge of the gutters? Is there any structural importance to the fascia boards, and if we didn't replace them right away would that be a problem?
Our house has 3 beams in the front outside which hold up the roof, which sticks out about 3 feet in this section. Those beams have a combination of wood rot and carpenter bees in them, and need to be replaced. Who do I call for this? I know for the roof I call a roofer, and for pipes I call a plumber, but who does beam replacements? Should the new beams be treated lumber?
In addition to the beams, there is also wood rot in the fascia boards around the entire house (the house has built in gutters which clog very easily, and water seeps over the edge throughout a lot of the winter here in Seattle). Is this something that I would have the same person repair, or is this something a roofing company would do, since it's all along the edge of the gutters? Is there any structural importance to the fascia boards, and if we didn't replace them right away would that be a problem?
Hire a builder. Make sure there's someone that you can be fairly confident of because you know soemone else who's used the, or some other good reason they are credible (e.g. they take you through the correct paperwork by the book).
posted by singingfish at 3:46 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by singingfish at 3:46 AM on July 11, 2013
Sounds like you might need a new roof. Rotten beams & rotten fascia points to water getting in somewhere; the leak(s) may not be where the damage shows. Some roofing contractors could do the whole job, but you could also try a general contractor. A carpenter will do the structural work & a roofer will fix or more likely replace the roof.
If you do need a new roof, you may as well do the fascia at the same time.
posted by mr vino at 3:58 AM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you do need a new roof, you may as well do the fascia at the same time.
posted by mr vino at 3:58 AM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sounds like you are talking about posts (upright) not beams (horizontal). Call a carpenter. Treated lumber is a good idea. Have them do the fascia an Danny roof issues too, don't delay, it will only get worse. Have them modify the gutter setup to avoid future issues.
posted by beagle at 4:37 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by beagle at 4:37 AM on July 11, 2013
Sounds like you are talking about posts (upright) not beams (horizontal)
It's possible the roof is cantilevered out from the house 3' on the beams.
Any exposed wood, like fascias and beams or rafter tails, is subject to rot, so your roof may not necessarily be leaking, but replacing the beams may involve some roofing work. Your main guy handling the beams and fascia will be a framer, but with the potential for additional trades to be involved, you'll probably want to call a General Contractor.
posted by LionIndex at 7:03 AM on July 11, 2013
It's possible the roof is cantilevered out from the house 3' on the beams.
Any exposed wood, like fascias and beams or rafter tails, is subject to rot, so your roof may not necessarily be leaking, but replacing the beams may involve some roofing work. Your main guy handling the beams and fascia will be a framer, but with the potential for additional trades to be involved, you'll probably want to call a General Contractor.
posted by LionIndex at 7:03 AM on July 11, 2013
Response by poster: Yes, I'm talking about posts which are upright, I didn't realize there were different terms for which direction they go!
I'm nearly 100% certain the fascia rot is due to the gutters, which are built into the roof and leak if there is any debris in there at all. The holes which the water goes down are barely lower than the edge of the gutters. I don't understand why someone would install such a thing, but that's what we have. Replacing the roof is not an option at this point.
posted by markblasco at 7:58 AM on July 11, 2013
I'm nearly 100% certain the fascia rot is due to the gutters, which are built into the roof and leak if there is any debris in there at all. The holes which the water goes down are barely lower than the edge of the gutters. I don't understand why someone would install such a thing, but that's what we have. Replacing the roof is not an option at this point.
posted by markblasco at 7:58 AM on July 11, 2013
A carpenter will do the beams, I believe, and pretty much everything else made out of wood. A general contractor will subcontract the appropriate people if multiple are involved.
It actually sounds like you need to replace the gutters, if they are leaking. How rusty are they? Where are they leaking from?
posted by Ashlyth at 10:35 AM on July 11, 2013
It actually sounds like you need to replace the gutters, if they are leaking. How rusty are they? Where are they leaking from?
posted by Ashlyth at 10:35 AM on July 11, 2013
Response by poster: The gutters are not leaking exactly, they are built into the house, so the roof slopes down, and then back up again. The hole that leads to the downspouts is not at the bottom of the gutters, it's kind of towards the side, and the lowest point of the side of the gutter is only about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch higher than the hole. They are built into the house, there is no separate gutter hanging off of the side. The fascia board is on the outside of the gutter.
Since we have a ton of evergreen and maple trees nearby which drop needles/leaves/cones all the time, as soon as a small amount of debris gets in the gutter near the downspout hole, the water starts to pour over the edge of the gutter. Even if the gutter was just cleaned the previous day, if we have a really windy rain storm, the needles and whatnot that fly into the gutters from the wind will then cause the rain to overflow over the sides. It's a terrible design, and if we had the money to do something about it we would, but since we lost an income when I started staying home with the kids, there is no extra money for anything. The repairs we've already done this year have more than used up all of our savings, and there are several more upcoming which we already know of. Replacing the gutters is not going to happen unless a tree falls down on the roof and the insurance pays for it.
I'll start looking out for a general contractor to talk about this, and we'll see what happens.
posted by markblasco at 2:32 PM on July 11, 2013
Since we have a ton of evergreen and maple trees nearby which drop needles/leaves/cones all the time, as soon as a small amount of debris gets in the gutter near the downspout hole, the water starts to pour over the edge of the gutter. Even if the gutter was just cleaned the previous day, if we have a really windy rain storm, the needles and whatnot that fly into the gutters from the wind will then cause the rain to overflow over the sides. It's a terrible design, and if we had the money to do something about it we would, but since we lost an income when I started staying home with the kids, there is no extra money for anything. The repairs we've already done this year have more than used up all of our savings, and there are several more upcoming which we already know of. Replacing the gutters is not going to happen unless a tree falls down on the roof and the insurance pays for it.
I'll start looking out for a general contractor to talk about this, and we'll see what happens.
posted by markblasco at 2:32 PM on July 11, 2013
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posted by TrialByMedia at 12:01 AM on July 11, 2013