Wood rot repair, cut back to sound timber.
Soft fascia, crumbling trim, framing that has been wet for years. We remove what has failed, fix what caused it, and leave you something paint will actually stick to.
Rot spreads further than it shows
By the time timber looks bad it has usually been failing for a while behind the paint. Paint is a skin: it holds its shape over wood that has gone soft underneath, which is why a board can look merely tired and then take a screwdriver to the handle.
So the first thing we do is probe. Sound timber resists, failed timber gives, and the boundary between them is almost always further along the run than the discolouration suggests. Anyone quoting rot repair from the ground without probing is guessing.
The other thing worth knowing: rot is biological. It is fungus digesting wet wood, and it keeps going as long as the moisture does. Cutting out a section and leaving the wet source behind it just gives the fungus a fresh board to work on.
- Probed to find the true extent, not the visible edge
- Cut back into sound, dry material
- Moisture source identified and dealt with
- Replacement fixed and sealed ready for paint
Where we find it
The pattern is consistent. Fascia boards behind a gutter that overflows at one corner. Soffit framing where a roof leak has been tracking. Window and door trim under a run with no gutter above it. Porch posts and beams at the base, where splash-back keeps the bottom perpetually damp. Garage door jambs that sit right where the driveway drains toward the house.
What all of those share is a reliable source of water and poor drying. Southwest Florida humidity means wood that gets wet stays wet far longer than it would in a drier climate, and that extended wet time is what lets the fungus work.
Because we are on rooflines every day, we can usually tell you the cause and the cure in the same visit, rather than replacing a board and wishing you luck.
Repair, or replace the run
For localised damage, cutting out the failed section and splicing in new material is the sensible answer. The joint gets placed on solid backing, the new piece is fixed and sealed, and the profile matches what was there.
Where rot has travelled along most of a run, replacing the whole length usually costs little more than an elaborate series of splices and looks considerably better. Multiple joints in one board is a repair that announces itself.
You get both options with prices where both are viable. There is no deposit and nothing is due until the work is complete and you are satisfied with it.
- Section splicing on solid backing
- Full-run replacement where damage is extensive
- Profiles matched to the existing trim
- Aluminum wrap available over new fascia
Stopping the next round
The repair is half the job. The other half is making sure that spot stays dry, which is usually a drainage fix rather than a carpentry one: correcting gutter pitch so a corner stops overflowing, clearing or adding a downspout, extending a discharge point away from the wall, or hanging a run of gutter where there never was one.
Those fixes are frequently cheaper than the rot repair they prevent, and they are our main trade, so it is one crew and one visit.
Once the new timber is in and sealed, painting it promptly matters. Bare exterior wood in this climate does not wait politely for a free weekend. If painting is not in your scope with us, do it soon.
Simple from estimate to guarantee.
Free Estimate
We inspect your roofline, recommend the right fix, and hand you a clear written price — no obligation.
Scheduled Service
Our local crew completes the work cleanly and on time, and hauls away anything we remove.
Lifetime Guarantee
Backed by our workmanship guarantee, and you pay nothing until the job is done right.
Wood Rot Repair questions.
Press or probe it. Weathered wood is grey and rough but firm. Rotted wood gives, feels spongy, and often crumbles. Paint can look intact over failed timber, so the surface appearance is not reliable on its own.
Consolidants and fillers have a place on small areas of otherwise sound trim, but they are not a fix for structural rot or for a board that has lost its integrity. On fascia carrying gutter load, replacement is the honest answer.
Into sound, dry material past the affected zone, which is nearly always further than the visible damage. Rot is fungal and continues through wood that still looks acceptable, so stopping at the discolouration leaves the problem in place.
Water plus time. Overflowing gutters, missing gutter runs, downspouts discharging at the wall, roof leaks tracking into soffit framing, and splash-back at grade. Humidity here keeps wet wood wet for longer, which is what lets the fungus work.
That is the part we would insist on, and it is usually a drainage correction rather than carpentry. Fixing the pitch, clearing or adding a downspout, or hanging a missing run is often cheaper than the rot repair itself, and it is our main trade.
We leave new timber sealed and ready for paint, and we can discuss finishing as part of the scope. What matters is that bare exterior wood gets painted promptly in this climate rather than sitting through a rainy month.
Contact Us
(239) 342-5489Or, fill out this handy form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible – usually within 24 hours on business days.