| In
This Article:
We cut away wood sheathing
that interferes with the new porch, apply primer to the old
framing to deter rot, and install a new 2x6 ledger board. |
Related
Articles:
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| Skill Level:
3 (Moderate) |
Time Taken:
2 Hours |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
Modern deck framing often employs a ledger joist that is
attached to the exterior wall of the house. Perpendicular joists
connect to the ledger using metal joist hangers.
 |
After the old porch decking was removed, there
was a beaten and weathered layer of wood underneath. |
| These grayed boards exposed at the corner are
part of the solid wood sheathing that covers the
outside walls of this old house. This sheathing is nailed
directly to the outside of the wall studs. |
 |
Some of these sheathing boards are almost 20 inches wide (i.e. a
1x20 plank). Try finding that kind of lumber today!
 |
In the corner, the lower part of the sheathing
was reasonably intact. But other parts were badly cracked. I
didn't want to install our porch ledger board over a weak and
uneven substrate, so I decided to cut away part of the
sheathing. |
| Some of the nails in the sheathing were rather
rusted. This is a common occurrence in old houses. |
 |
 |
This is typical of the point where the old stone
foundation meets the wooden sill plate. Sill plates often rot
because they are in contact with masonry, which can absorb
water and dampen the wood, which will rot whenever the
moisture content is above 29%.
The loose rocks will allow cold air to enter the house in
the winter, and these gaps also let bugs gain entrance to the
house. |
I believe that this house has experienced no sill rotting
problems because the foundation extends about 2 feet above the soil.
This makes it difficult for water to wick upwards into the wood.
Also, since the house has a basement which receives some heat from
the furnace, the lowest parts of the framing are not exposed to damp
crawl-space air. It's benefits like these that make me a firm
believer in full-depth basements.
| Once I had calculated the exact level of the
ledger joist, I snapped a chalk line and ripped the sheathing
board with a circular saw. |
 |
 |
Since I could not cut all the way to the end, I
used a reciprocating saw to cut the last few inches (red
arrow). |
| I applied a coating of oil-based primer to the
exposed sill and rim joists. Why? Because it can't hurt and
might help.
Primer will deter moisture from soaking into the wood, if
some water ever gets behind the ledger joist. |
 |
 |
This inexpensive drill bit is good for drilling
counter-sunk pilot holes. |
 |
 |
I used 3" Deck-Mate screws to install the
ledger joist to the house. With the pre-drilled and
counter-sunk holes, the screw heads were easily buried below
the surface of the wood. |
| The installed ledger boards, which were 2x6
pressure treated pine. |
 |
Note: One thing I
omitted in this task was a metal flashing strip to keep water from
getting behind the ledger joist. Many new-home builders employ such
flashing strips (often called a Z-flashing because of its shape),
but I was not able to pry the siding away from the house to insert
the upper leg of the flashing.
We plan on replacing the siding on most of this house (with
original wood siding), and at that time we will install an
appropriate flashing.
Warning About Deck
Ledgers:
I have read numerous accounts lately (late 2004) about
serious injuries and deaths caused by collapsing decks.
In most of these cases the culprit was an improperly installed
deck ledger which pulled away from the house when the deck was
loaded with a crowd of people.
Some of these ledger boards were simply nailed to the side
of the building with common (smooth-shank) nails, which offer
very little resistance to pull-out forces. Deck screws
are definitely better than common nails at resisting pull-out,
but deck screws may still not be enough.
Current building codes specify the number and size of
fasteners used to attach a ledger board to a building. I have
seen some hefty requirements, such as 2 rows of
½" lag screws spaced at most 16 inches apart. Your
actual requirements will depend on your conditions, so contact
your local building department or construction codes office
for exact information. |
|
Tools
Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Circular Saw
- Reciprocating Saw
- Basic Carpentry Tools
|
Materials Used:
- Treated Lumber, 2x6
- Deck Screws
|
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