Commercial Siding Replacement Case Study: Hidden Dry Rot
Commercial Siding Replacement Case Study: Hidden Dry RotThis commercial siding replacement project revealed a problem the owner could not see from the exterior: long-term water intrusion had caused extensive dry rot behind the cladding. The project became a coordinated siding, structural repair, and waterproofing scope rather than a simple material replacement.
We were hired to replace the siding on this building. The owner had no idea that the building was not properly waterproofed during construction and that the siding had been trapping water for quite some time. When the old siding was torn off during the siding replacement process there was quite a bit of dry rot uncovered.
What’s the big deal about Dry Rot?
As you can see from this image the main support beams are rotting away. This is major structural damage that would have started to show up as the beams become weak and cannot support the weight of the structure above.
This kind of damage is quite common but 100% preventable. The biggest factor in dry rot is water. Water seeping behind windows and siding because of improper installation is the biggest cause of dry rot in the Portland metro area. We live in a very wet climate so proper waterproofing of your building is very important. It is cheaper to waterproof your building properly the first time than it is to repair all the damage many years later.
In this case all the supporting beams and other rotted wood needs to be replaced before the new siding can be installed.
Pacific Exteriors NW was able to fix this building by replacing all the rotted wood then properly waterproofing the area before installing the new siding. Now the building structure is solid and will last for many more years.
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