Project Description
Structural Deck Repair And Dry Rot Project
Saved The Homeowner From The Possibility Of Her Home Collapsing
The Problem
The homeowner in Portland, Oregon, reached out to us to discuss the problems she was having with her home. Initially, she contacted us because she was concerned about the handrails on her deck and she felt afraid the deck might be unsafe. She had a unique and challenging issue that she needed someone to take care of. While searching she called many contractors looking for someone who could help with such a specialized project and purchase a permit for the repairs. Finally, she called SFW Construction and Kayla’s project started as a structural deck repair. Once we started removing the deck boards, we discovered that the two large support beams at both ends had severe dry rot.
PROJECT VIDEOS
PROJECT PHOTOS
“Everything went great. Mine was a difficult project but SFW Construction addressed all my concerns and more! I enjoyed working with SFW because of the communication, everything was explained to me thoroughly. Everyone involved was punctual and the job site was kept clean.
Kayla C., Portland, OR
June 2018
“Everything went great. Mine was a difficult project but SFW Construction addressed all my concerns and more! I enjoyed working with SFW because of the communication, everything was explained to me thoroughly. Everyone involved was punctual and the job site was kept clean.
Kayla C., Portland, OR
June 2018
By The Numbers
$$$$
Project Cost
The Assessment
The homeowner’s house had structural damage that was diminishing the ability of the building to maintain sound integrity. Often these conditions exist undetected or hidden behind siding systems and envelope assemblies deteriorating rough framing and plywood sheathing from the inside out. That, however, was not the main challenge. The difficulty came from the house being on stilts, while the front of the house is facing the road, making the property nearly vertical.
The back of the house is approximately 50 feet off the ground, and so is the required scaffolding to reach and replace the damaged beams. The scaffolding was installed across the entire back of the house and continued 20 feet along the sides. With no easy access to any of the damaged areas of the house, we had to use special equipment like cranes, scaffolding, and highly skilled crew members.
The Solution
After setting up safety precautions and installing the scaffolding the crew installed a support post from the bottom of the house to the ground. The crew installed support posts on the outside of the two outer support beams and the center beam that supported the deck joists. Concrete footings had to be dug and filled with concrete to support the undercarriage of the home. Once everything was in place, the crew began demoing the rest of the deck joists and removing the dry rotted beams. Special flashing had to be fabricated to protect the new material from rotting out again before we started rebuilding the deck.
We brought in Miller as an engineering firm to engineer a repair solution. The idea was to replace the beams with a “C” Chanel Steel beam bolted to the section of the wood beam that we replaced after installing the steel beams. We used a 5-ton crane for putting steel “C” Channels onto the scaffolding. After the repairs were completed to the dry rotted beams, the deck was rebuilt with new composite decking and handrails. Scaffolding was removed—job completed.
About SFW Construction
Since 2005, SFW Construction has completed thousands of home renovation projects in the greater Portland area. We are reaching out to The Portland Metropolitan Area to offer the same services. If you live in Portland, Oregon, and have any repairs in mind contact SFW Construction today! We are experts at what we do and are willing to tackle the jobs the other guys will not because they lack the expertise—or because they do not have the time.