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spencerin
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# Posted: 21 Dec 2022 11:51pm
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Well, I didn't make it as long as I thought I would before needing to make my first major cabin repair.....
Somehow water had been getting through the back door and onto the floor. I'm 99% sure I was able to put a stop to it after a while, but there ended up being much more water trapped against the floor under the covering than I realized. A growing bump under sheet vinyl led to the discovery of lots of mold and rotting plywood subflooring. Ouch.....
The question now is how extensive the remediation and repair are going to be. I'm upset about it, but at the same time know a lot worse things can happen.
Anybody else have any unexpected major repair stories they want to share?
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Brettny
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# Posted: 22 Dec 2022 08:52am
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How was the door flashed and sealed? What type of siding?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 22 Dec 2022 10:14am
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Maybe I was lucky?, must have been, I was not a skilled or 'experienced' builder in '83 (age 30) when I designed and built our 1st cabin (12x24) with mostly recycled 1897? barn wood. In the 35ish years we only had to re-roof the 25yr asphalt shingle roof at about 30yr. There was a couple of sheets of plywood that needed replacing. It was still sound and not in need of much when we had to turn it over in Sept 2018 after the folks estate sale.
Now this 'new one',prev owner designed and built Aug 2012, is done in the school of Australian Bush Shanties. The farther I go with 'improvements' the more the words of a friend when he 1st saw it ring more true,"Best thing would be if it burned down and you had to start over", LOL.
Like you Spenc, we get water intrusion at door bottom when it rains from that side.....oughta at least make a simple door awning but have wondered just how big. I suspect a 'short porch' or enclosed entry might be a better idea.
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spencerin
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# Posted: 22 Dec 2022 09:57pm
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Where you usually have brickmold I have J-channel metal trim because it's metal siding. All the seams are caulked good.
I honestly think water was getting wicked, or driven, into the door frame through the slots where the seals are affixed, trickling down onto the floor under the sill, and spreading out from there. I have no other idea how it was happening. Water was not coming through the sides or over the sill of the door. I put an awning up and rubber flaps over the side seals, and I believe that's stopped it.
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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 23 Dec 2022 07:01am
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The “splatter†is often overlooked. How high the threshold is from the outside flooring or decking and how well it is sealed and flashed under the threshold is huge.
Best of luck. It’s frustrating, I know.
Tim_Ohio
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 23 Dec 2022 11:06am
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The sill plate, until recently, had a 1/2" gap underneath it. You could see the edge of the plywood floor through this gap. Prior to the awning, I did think about water splashing off the steps and up through that gap, but thought that was too small a gap for any significant amount of water to accumulate, especially since water would have to splash up through that small a gap at just the right angle/arc to land on the edge of the floor and spread out from there. But, who knows, water finds ways. Yes, it's frustrating.....
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Brettny
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# Posted: 23 Dec 2022 07:31pm
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You should never see the subfloor on the exterior of a building. You could flash it with metal.
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ICC
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# Posted: 24 Dec 2022 12:18pm
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I wasn't inclined at first to make comment on this as all I saw was either an error or an inadvertent mistake was made that made it easy for water to get inside the structure.
But if there was a gap under the sill plate and the subfloor edge was visible, well that was wrong.
I may be wrong, but I think a mistake must have been made in how the door was flashed when it was installed. So maybe some thoughts about weather sealing are in order, if not for this case but to help anyone who may read this and their future builds.
I think of a building as having three layers making up the walls.
Working from the exterior towards the interior we first have what I think of as the cosmetic layer. This is the wood, vinyl, metal, cement board, brick, stucco or other covering that everyone who passes by sees. I think of that as the clothes, fancy or not, that are presented to the world. With the cosmetic layer, we do our best to seal out the rain, but I think of it as a potentially leaky layer, mainly there to present a pretty face.
Under the siding material is the Weather Resistant Barrier. The WRB. This actual name is used in the IRC building code which is used in most states. (WI is different but its code follows the same practices.) The WRB is where the real water-resistant construction is. The house wrap or tar paper / building felt is the main component of that layer. Flashing is the second and very important component. Flashing can be sheet metal or a butyl rubber self-adhesive roll material. Flashing is a must to prevent water intrusion and must be installed from the bottom upwards. The idea is to eliminate upward-facing seams, crevices, and gaps where water may enter. All the overlaps are made so a drop of water rolling, flowing down the wall flows over the seam and has no chance of gravity pulling it into the building envelope. Everything that overlaps should be installed as lap siding is installed. Water drops off and over a potential entry point. I use caulk around the door and window frames if recommended by the door or window manufacturer. However, I always use flashing over that seam. (Grace Vycor has been my stand flashing forever. Once the WRB is complete the building walls are as weatherproof as they may get.
The third layer would be the structural components; the framing and the structural sheathing. The WRB protects the structural parts so there should be a very long time between any repairs to the actual structural parts. "Things" do happen but are most often preventable.
Some of the materials we have today combine structural and weather-resistant layers. Zip Panels are an example, when installed with the proper tape, etc.
So, I do not know how this door was flashed but it would appear, with what we know at this point, that flashing or the lack of proper flashing was the cause. The cure may involve a lot of labor with the removal of siding to get down to where the WRB can be remedied. But I have no idea what is there and how it was installed.
If this door was improperly flashed that makes me wonder about the window flashing.
I hope the comments above may help someone.
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