Hurricane Harvey Damage (Stud replacement) Help.

[AHill]

I had water damage to my home several years ago.  They removed the drywall about 2' up and dried everything out.  No termite damage (no trees for termites to chomp on in the desert), but the crew that put in the new drywall matched the texture perfectly and repainted the entire walls.  Most insurance companies aren't going to reimburse you for more than what is necessary to repair the damage, so your brother wants to replace the entire drywall, he'll probably have to pay for the difference out of his pocket.  The crews that do the best matching texture are the ones who specialist in damage restoration.  They usually cost more than your run-of-the-mill contractor.

[Steve N]

it appears there used to be termite damage and rotted wood already there. Do I need to completely replace the entire stud?

I would strongly suggest using all new lumber and a 40 year, ground contact, sill plate to start with. Termites don't necessarily go away due to water. Houston has had 3 years with 500 year rains, meaning a lot of rain, like cocka roaches they make it through when humans sometimes cannot. Structurally you will be winning to, Sistering broken, split or bug ruined 2x material is asking for total collapse. If they have any sort of building code down there it would also be against code, which if something bad happened after the fix, and the place collapsed it could waive the insurance as well.

Check around, in instances where a lot of homes are really wet, or under water the county building department will have fliers ready with do's and dont's.

[Lynden]

After you get the framing repaired, treat it with Bora-Care.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/boraca...-1265.html

2. Water Damaged Materials

If a home has been damaged by water from leaking pipes, rain or flood waters, you can apply Bora-Care with Mold-Care to all affected structural wood once damaged materials are properly cleaned out and dried. Wood decay and mold can begin to grow almost immediately. By applying Mold-Care, you kill existing mold and stop wood decay in its tracks. You also are protecting the wood in case of future flooding.

[JGrout]

When I had some serious termite damage at an old house we bought, I cut out the damaged bottom and then slipped a new one under before sistering.  It effectively creates 4 x 6 but also gets rid of the pieces that had the termites and rot in them.

this will be the correct way to proceed  you cannot just sister the stud you have to support the unsupported section you cut out. The wall is no longer load bearing IOW; nails will not replace the bearing capability of the sistered stud in a vertical application

[Robert Adams]

this will be the correct way to proceed  you cannot just sister the stud you have to support the unsupported section you cut out. The wall is no longer load bearing IOW; nails will not replace the bearing capability of the sistered stud in a vertical application

            I think there is is a misunderstanding on what the terms are. Sistering a stud involves placing a new stud right against the old one and nailing it to the top and bottom plates as well as the old stud. Scabbing  a stud or splicing a stud is cutting out the bad chunk then placing a new piece in its place and then adding a 2x over the joint to strengthen it. 

             Sistering the studs is the way to go as it actually makes the house stronger however it does reduce the amount of insulation in the wall and increases thermal transfer of heat from outside to inside.

                Splicing a stud Is OK for the odd one here and there in In a non load bearing application. 

                 Sistering the studs also means you are ripping out all the drywall anyway so it's it's a good time to try and find a good drywall guy that can do a smooth wall. That is very hard here hence why houses all have textures walls, it covers the bad drywall job and taping...

[EdL]

You can't replace the studs unless you remove the outside wall covering, no way to re-nail the sheathing.

IMHO, sistering a full stud next to the existing stud is best if you choose to do so. Doing one stud at a time will not need extra support. In the unlikely event the wall sags slightly, hammering the new stud in at an angle will raise it again.

Sistering a half stud isn't good, as Joe said, the nails would be holding the load, not good.

Ed

[efmrrt]

Moon,

Make sure you go up far enough on the sheet rock & insulation to get all the water damage. The materials will wick the water up much farther than the actual water level. If it were me, I'd pull off a couple of sheets of rock off and do a closer inspection of the 2xs since your in Texas and talking termites). Make SURE everything is good and dry prior to rebuilding. Also spray a fungicide like Aftershock and Bora-Care (termite killer) on all surfaces. Also check local codes to see if they recommend anything special.

Take advantage of this to do upgrades to insulation, electrical, etc.

[JGrout]

            I think there is is a misunderstanding on what the terms are. Sistering a stud involves placing a new stud right against the old one and nailing it to the top and bottom plates as well as the old stud. Scabbing  a stud or splicing a stud is cutting out the bad chunk then placing a new piece in its place and then adding a 2x over the joint to strengthen it. 

             Sistering the studs is the way to go as it actually makes the house stronger however it does reduce the amount of insulation in the wall and increases thermal transfer of heat from outside to inside.

                Splicing a stud Is OK for the odd one here and there in In a non load bearing application. 

                 Sistering the studs also means you are ripping out all the drywall anyway so it's it's a good time to try and find a good drywall guy that can do a smooth wall. That is very hard here hence why houses all have textures walls, it covers the bad drywall job and taping...

I am more concerned with the termite infested parts . If you just nail a sister to the existing infested stud it has little chance of doing the job intended. 

JME 

Joe

[Robert Adams]

I am more concerned with the termite infested parts . If you just nail a sister to the existing infested stud it has little chance of doing the job intended. 

JME 

Joe

Yeah hence why I mentioned plates. The bottom will be eaten up and who knows how far up. Can be up to the roof rafters. Seen that many times. And there they have both types of termites. We only have subterranean here which are easy to control.
     In Hawaii it was common for houses to be tented and fumigated for termites. The neighbor had his done every other year because he had allot of antique Japanese furniture.  


         As for the sheathing issue and replacing studs it isn't a big deal. Houses here are brick, not many sided houses built after the 50s. Builders in the past used anything from drywall to a narrow strip drywall product with a black paper coating to 4x8 sheets of a product like the stuff used in concrete joints. Long 1x4s were let into the framing for diagonal stability. 

            There isn't a need for total ridgid sheathing  as you really just need an air barrier there for insulation. High wind locations require 4x8 ply sheathing in the corners vertically but nowhere else. With the new insulation requirements you now either have to add 1" of foam to the outside or make the walls 2x6. 

           Moisture barriers like poly are not used because they will make make a structure rot and mold here. Have seen many commercial buildings drawn by northern architects and required an interior poly barrier and the results are mmoldy drywall and rotted framing. Luckily on a remodel that can be ripped out and repaired.