Water – Deck Posts Were Covered With Dirt, Dealing With Rot

deckrotwaterwood

One of the inspection notes from when I bought my home was the dirt making contact with the posts on the deck:
https://ibb.co/album/ju0n3v

I dug out the dirt and it looks like this: https://ibb.co/album/nBumDv

As you can see in the first two pics, there is some rot at the the base of one of the posts. The other posts did not look as bad. There is one tricky portion in a few pics where you can see the wood running along the dirt. Now that i've dug out the posts and its raining, some posts just have water pooling by them. For now, putting the dirt back is better than standing water correct?

  1. How bad does the rot look in that first post?

  2. For the wood thats just running along the dirt, is the best way just to clear some space below it and remove any dirt that's touching the wood?

  3. Should I fill in the cavities that I just created with gravel? If so, what type? I'm concerned I now have area for water to pool and damage even further. Is there anything else I could do to the posts or fill in the surrounding area to help temporarily alleviate the issue?

  4. Any other thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks

Best Answer

That first post is looking pretty bad. Most deck lumber is not meant to have contact with ground/dirt. The concrete filled holes should have been higher than the existing grade and sloped away from the posts. Filling in the area you dug out will not solve the problem as water will still accumulate. Your best bet would be to get some concrete deck supports and place them over the concrete after cutting off a portion the posts. The remainder part of the posts would go into the concrete supports.

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As far as the wood running along the ground, clean it off, reseal it and dig out the area so there's no further contact. As always, it never hurts to check with local authorities on what to do.

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