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We currently working on this task and have already completed the back of the house. We have now turned our attention to the more labor/expertise intensive side and front.
As you’ll see the photos below, the house has been raised and the work is in progress. We had to jack from the exterior the entire left side of the home. This is going to allow us to remove the rotted sills and replace with the new. Also, the foundation fieldstone will need to be replaced and leveled back to original height. Years of moisture, no gutters and asphalt that the previous owner laid around the border of the house – and we’ve since removed – have deteriorated the stone walls and pushed them into the crawl space below.
This situation is very common in moist climates like New England. In the case of dirt crawl space and no gutters, deteriorated sills were not surprising. Making matters worse, as mentioned above, the previous owners tried to remedy both problems by pouring black top around the house. They probably thought this would help secure the foundation and help water drain away while it fell from the roof. The asphalt though, in fact, did the exact opposite. It may have helped secure the foundation a little from the outside, but the water hitting it actually wicked down the crack between the black top and the sills. This then caused the foundations to slowly be pushed in as the house began to sag around the outside of the foundation. The sills did not stand a chance. These were ideal conditions for all types of wood boring insects to take over, in our case: termites!
What we’re doing now is replacing the sub-floor, sills and joists with pressure treated lumber and a very comprehensive in-ground termite treatment – both under and outside the house. We will also be installing corrugated pipe about 18”-24” deep and follow the perimeter of the foundation to help with water drainage do to the grade. This will give us peace of mind for now, but we’ll have to be vigilant against moisture and termites for the rest of our days at the house.
In addition to the sill work, the field stone foundation in the front/side left corner of the house needs to be built up. New England Country has carefully chosen field stone found on the property to improve the foundation.
