01 · BeforePaint and trim hid it
From the patio the header looked like trim. The dark line along the bottom was the only thing showing, and it was wet to the touch.
Structural and Rot Repair
Rotted beams, posts and balconies, repaired properly.
We open it up, find how far the rot actually went, shore the load while the bad framing comes out, and rebuild it so water drains instead of sitting. You see photos and a price before we go further than the first cut.
What we repairPosts, beams, headers, band joists, balconies and patio roofs
How it startsA site visit and a small exploratory opening, not a phone guess
You always getPhotos of what we find before the price changes
WhereJax Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ponte Vedra
Warning Signs
Six signs your framing is rotting.
- A post you can push and feel move, or one that sounds hollow when you knock near the base.
- A dark horizontal line along the bottom of a beam or header, especially under a balcony.
- Paint blistering in the same spot every year no matter how many times it gets redone.
- A balcony or deck that has started to slope away from the house, or a rail that has gone loose.
- Soft trim at a corner where two walls meet, or a screw that spins instead of biting.
- Any of the above on a house within about a mile of the water, at any age.
None of these on their own mean the structure is unsafe. All of them mean the wood is wet, and wet wood on the coast has a short clock. Finding out costs a site visit.
One Job, Start to Finish
A rotted balcony, three blocks off the ocean.
The owners called about a soft spot in the trim. Here is what it turned into, and what it took.
01 · Before
02 · Opened upGone at the bearing point
Once the fascia came off, the bottom third of the beam had turned to fiber. The post under it had gone the same way from the slab up.
03 · ShoredLoad transferred
Temporary posts and a needle beam picked up the balcony so the failed members could come out without anything moving upstairs.
04 · ReframedNew beam, new posts
Pressure treated beam sized for the span, posts on standoff bases, everything flashed at the wall so water leaves instead of sitting.
05 · DeckedFraming back to square
New joists and blocking, then decking. This is where a rebuilt balcony either lines back up with the house or does not.
06 · FinishedRail and detail
Horizontal slat rail matched to the rest of the house. From the yard it reads as original, which is the point.
What We Repair
The structural repairs we do most.
Framing
Posts, beams and headers
Failed bearing points get shored, cut out and replaced with members sized for the actual span. Where the original detail is what caused the rot, the detail changes too.
Roofs and covers
Patio roofs and overhangs
Sagging or leaking patio covers reframed and re-tied to the house, with flashing corrected at the wall so the same failure does not repeat in five years.
Elevated decks
Balconies and second floor decks
Ledger connections, band joists, joists and rail posts. Elevated decks are where coastal rot does the most damage and where the consequences are worst.
Budget
Why we will not price this over the phone.
Rot is not visible from the outside. Anyone who quotes a rotted post sight unseen is either guessing high to protect themselves or guessing low to win the job and change the number later. We open a small hole first, and then we tell you.
- 01
How far it went
The visible damage is the end of the problem, not the start. A soft trim board can mean one bad piece, or a header, a post and a band joist.
- 02
Whether it carries load
A decorative post comes out with a saw. A structural one needs the load picked up first, and shoring is most of a day before any repair begins.
- 03
Height and access
A ground level post beside a driveway is one price. The same repair under a second floor balcony, over a pool, is another.
- 04
What has to come off
Siding, stucco, roofing, decking and railing all have to come off to reach framing, and every bit of it has to go back.
- 05
Engineering
Some repairs need an engineer letter, particularly where a beam is being resized or a connection is being changed.
- 06
Putting it back
Framing is often the cheaper half. Matching stucco texture, siding profile and paint so the repair disappears is the other half.
Send this and we will tell you whether it needs a same-week visit
- The address, and the year the house was built if you know it
- Photos of the soft spot, straight on and from an angle
- A photo of the whole elevation, so we can see what is above it
- Whether anything is currently moving, sloping or leaking
Common Questions
What homeowners ask us about rot.
Is it safe to keep using the balcony?
If a post or a rail moves when you push on it, stop using it and call someone today.
Most of the rot we find is not an emergency. A failing elevated deck is the one case where it can be.
Will my insurance cover it?
Usually not. Homeowner policies generally exclude long-term rot and deferred maintenance, and cover sudden accidental damage instead. Your policy language is what decides it.
We are carpenters, not adjusters, so read the policy or call your agent before you count on it.
How long does a repair take?
A single post is often one to two days. A balcony rebuild with shoring, framing, decking, railing and finish work is usually one to two weeks.
Will you find more once you open it up?
Sometimes, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. What we commit to is that you see photographs and a revised price before we cut anything beyond the agreed scope.
Can you just cover it back up for now?
No. Rot keeps spreading while the wood is wet, and closing a wall over wet framing turns a repair into a bigger repair.
If the budget is not there yet, we will tell you what to do to keep it from getting worse in the meantime.
Do you handle the stucco and paint afterward?
Yes. Putting the elevation back so the repair disappears is part of the job, not a separate trade you have to chase down.
Also From The Grainé
Rot repair usually turns into one of these.
Not sure how bad it is?
That is the normal starting point. We come out, open up as little as it takes to know, and tell you what we find before anything gets priced.