And the band plays on

So after digging out all the dry-rotted and insect-eaten wood that was pretending to hold up an end of our house, I finally had the joy of permanently putting in clean wood.

First, the weird bottom sill, which is now a pressure treated 2x4 for the first time:

 Not having a Ramset, or whatever the tool is called for anchoring wood to concrete, I used PL adhesive. This will be largely responsible for keeping bugs from crawling under. Not that they won't find another way...

I also made use of the 20-ton jack as a clamp, providing downward pressure against the sill from the header above. It was really good for my psyche to see some clean wood in there!

Next, the more typical 2x8 sill, again pressure treated for the first time:

This piece I notched around the end of the carrying beam in the basement. Keep in mind that the post seen here is temporary. I also intend to put in one of those adjustable lally columns just under the end of this beam in the basement. I can tell that there is water damage there, but I can't tell how deep in the end grain if the triple 2x10 it goes. 

Finally, the band joist or maybe you like "box beam," and what I have been referring to as its sister:

This was a struggle as the kiln dried Fraser fir that was used in the early 70's had an ever so slightly different dimension to it. This certainly wasn't my finest work, but it is surely a whole lot better than it ever had been in this spot.

  This means that I am finally back up above the deck ledger! For now! I still need to put in the sheathing under the opening, and re-bolt the ledger to the joists through 3/4" spacers. All of that should be child's play compared to removing the same to get at the sills!

After wondering through this all how much I needed to push the header back up, I came to a good finding today. Measuring the trimmer (I think... I have a really difficult time with names of framing members...) studs on either side of the opening would give me the intended height in the center, obviously. So a quick whip of the tape measure shows me that even what I thought had been a fairly pre-loaded temporary post could be a full half-inch longer! Amazing! This place really sagged! But having seen what I have seen so far, I am not surprised!

I now have a gameplan in place, and I am sure one more solid day on this project will find me ready to throw the door units back in and move on to something else! 

In case anyone is reading this that has lent or handed down or extendedly loaned tools to me in the past, MANY THANKS! I could not do any of this work without them. Further, if anyone wants to pass down a Fein multi-master, well that would be just swell! 

That's all for now. Tonight we continue the schlep of belongings from our apartment in Town to our home in the Country.

1love

Andy