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I had a structural engineer inspect the home my son is buying and he discovered wood rot on the attached carport support posts and rear deck posts. The recommended repair on the carport involves installing concrete footers extended above grade level to eliminate direct soil contact on the wooden support posts. While most general carpenters/handymen can easily handle wood rot repairs, I need someone who has experience building concrete footers for existing structures which will also involve cutting away parts of the existing concrete driveway around the posts to pour the footers.
Would you consider a second opinion? Seems very excessive for a carport. You have to remember the structural engineer isn't paying for the repairs himself.
The structural engineer is one of the only professions who is under legal obligation to recommend THE CORRECT fix for the problem. You could crap it up by just putting more wood that's too close the ground, but it will just rot again, probably creating a problem the next time the home is resold. He's just telling you the right way to do it, you may get other opinions from johnny- come-latelys that have their own method for a cheaper less permanent fix, but the correct way is what it is.
I don't think it sounds like that major of a job. Most companies that regularly do deck work will have the know-how or access to a concrete guy who can do this.
I'm just surprised nobody has come up with a better material than pressure treated lumber for structural posts. I understand composite / synthetic decking materials won't work for this, but it seems like someone could have come up with something like Trex that is reinforced with concrete filled steel on the inside.
You could crap it up by just putting more wood that's too close the ground, but it will just rot again, probably creating a problem the next time the home is resold.
I'm just surprised nobody has come up with a better material than pressure treated lumber for structural posts. I understand composite / synthetic decking materials won't work for this, but it seems like someone could have come up with something like Trex that is reinforced with concrete filled steel on the inside.
Keep in mind the o.p. did not state how old the house is. What if the carport has been in place for 30+ years and can be repaired for a tenth of the cost by replacing what is rotten compared to repairing it the recommended way as per the structural engineer and get another 30+ years life?
No.
The OP needs a footer below frost depth, and a footprint that is calculated to support the load placed on it. These are too small for most any load, and once OP digs down to have the tops 15" below grade, might as well pour a few bags of concrete in the hole.
Cutting the existing concrete out of the way is likely the most taxing part of this job.
Keep in mind the o.p. did not state how old the house is. What if the carport has been in place for 30+ years and can be repaired for a tenth of the cost by replacing what is rotten compared to repairing it the recommended way as per the structural engineer and get another 30+ years life?
What makes the most sense?
Anything less than repair to code makes no sense at all, because it would just come back to haunt him at resale ant cost way more than 10x savings for the crapped up repair. Statistically very few people stay in one home for 30+ years, so he should be thinking about resale on each.and.every.repair.
Anything less than repair to code makes no sense at all, because it would just come back to haunt him at resale ant cost way more than 10x savings for the crapped up repair. Statistically very few people stay in one home for 30+ years, so he should be thinking about resale on each.and.every.repair.
Replacing the wood to achieve another 30+ years of service does not mean it won't be performed to code.
The house was built in 1974, but the carport was added on about 15 years ago. Here's the exact wording from the structural engineer's report:
"We recommend the installation of a new 16" square masonry pier with prefabricated steel post base by Simpson or equal and an associated 24" square x 8" thick concrete footing at the carport posts. The footers should bear minimum 1' 4" below grade, and the pier should be grouted solid"
The carport was built to code with permit pulled/inspected at the time of construction, but wooden support posts in direct contact with ground soil for long periods of time can't be a good thing.
The house was built in 1974, but the carport was added on about 15 years ago. Here's the exact wording from the structural engineer's report:
"We recommend the installation of a new 16" square masonry pier with prefabricated steel post base by Simpson or equal and an associated 24" square x 8" thick concrete footing at the carport posts. The footers should bear minimum 1' 4" below grade, and the pier should be grouted solid"
The carport was built to code with permit pulled/inspected at the time of construction, but wooden support posts in direct contact with ground soil for long periods of time can't be a good thing.
Was the recommendation from the home inspector or did the home inspector recommend getting a structural engineer out to investigate further?
That quote above is basically instructing you to bring it up to the current code, so nothing earth shattering in the instruction.
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