Is replacing rotted wood around basement windows a hard DIY project?
Replacing rotted wood around basement windows involves tearing out old planks, managing tar and house wrap, and nailing in new boards to avoid future leaks. First-time DIYers face quotes around 1,500 dollars and need to watch out for hidden structural issues or improper sealing that could lead to worse damage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Attempting the replacement as a first-time DIY project or pulling out the entire frame to do it properly.
- 2Paying a professional contractor around 1.5k for the replacement
- 3DIYing the replacement using hardie cement siding, adding an OSB deck, and stapling black paper
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The wood is starting to rot and needs replacing and I’m being quoted 1.5k ish to do both.”source ↗
“I’m thinking of DIY’ing but what issues should I be aware of or on the lookout for? Is it as “simple” as tearing down the wood planks, maybe tearing off the tar and adding and stapling house wrap to the frame, and nailing in new boards?”source ↗
“Recently noticed that the outside of my basement windows have old wood that needs replaced. Is this something that is pretty easy to do and reseal?”source ↗
“Is it generally easy to do? Would be my first time doing something like that so would want to be able to do it right to avoid future problems.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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