Rotten wood/water damaged siding. Need advice~Rookie Alert III~ (floor, roof)

[eav1221]

Hi all. Question about siding on the front of my new house: It has some water damage and/or rotten wood. It's more localized at the bottom of the planks near the 2nd floor windows (see the attached picture). My question is this: Can I buy the filler that fills the ragged look of the rotten part, and then paint over it with a sealant that protects against future damage? OR...Should I replace the entire pieces that are damaged even though it appears that it's just at the bottom? New homeowner here and am CLUELESS~~We obviously want to be most economical. Thanks for any/all advice!

[brienzi]

Your problem may be more than using some exterior wood filler. What stands out to me is that there is no gutter above that section of windows and water is pouring onto your lower roof and those lower boards are just soaking it up and causing the damage u describe.

Have a proper gutter installed above before u do anything.

Next u may have rotting wood behind the boards u see..like plywood etc..

Any rotting wood i wood remove and replace.

But first address the main issue which is the lack of a proper gutter on your home. That's my 2 cents. Good luck. Also, having a proper gutter installed by a pro should be fairly cheap...

[eav1221]

Thanks! Do you think it's going to be expensive to replace that wood? We'll definitely be getting a gutter. Doesn't appear that any of the other houses have a gutter on that part of the house. I'll check into it though.

[brienzi]

You have some type of gutter on your home but it's shoddy work. I'd have a pro install new gutters where needed on your home, and remove the existing ones.

From looking at your house and the visible rotting wood i would say it shouldn't be that expensive at all. Like i said u may have some damaged plywood under but that's cheap and it doesn't appear to be a large area or coverage that needs to be replaced..

If i where you I'd get 3 quotes from some contractors and take it from there. If you have no skill in carpentry and such...get the quotes and reply here. Just looking at your pic the project should NOT be that expensive. And tell the contractor u only want to replace what is needed and don't let them bait u into other BS...Looks like a pretty simple job from where i sit and i do this stuff for a living..

[eav1221]

I am SO grateful for your advice. Thanks a MILLION.

[brienzi]

Your welcome and let me know how things are going!

[K'ledgeBldr]

Your unit appears to have what I assume is the original siding- and it all looks shot!
In the pic, the unit next to you has vinyl or aluminum siding. And it has NO gutters at all on the upper front.

That "wing wall" detail that frames the windows juts out enough that you couldn't have a continuous gutter all the way across the front. It maybe possible to add a separate section- but it would require a separate downspout that would discharge onto the porch roof like the other downspout.

If you want to replace the "panels" that are below the upper windows use Hardi-panel and PVC trim. You won't have to worry about rot and decay- only caulk&paint!

[eav1221]

Yeah we'll have to do siding eventually, but for now, we just want to stop further damage from occurring. We haven't even moved in yet! It's the one thing that the house needs: Siding. We're hoping a good water-resistant/anti rot paint/finish and some replacing of damaged panels will buy us some saving time. I'm a first-timer and have a LOT to learn.

But I love this site! Thanks for the tips