Dry rot is a living organism. Painting over it, filling it with epoxy, or ignoring it does not stop it — it feeds it. We excise all infected material, treat the substrate, rebuild structurally, and correct the moisture condition that caused the rot to start. That is the only repair that holds.
$350 credited in full toward your repair when you move forward.
The Pacific Northwest's wet climate, combined with Tacoma's aging housing stock and frequent deferred maintenance on flashing and drainage, creates near-ideal conditions for fungal decay. Understanding how rot works is why our repairs hold and patch jobs don't.
Dry rot (primarily Serpula lacrymans and related species) is a wood-decaying fungus, not simple moisture damage. It produces mycelium strands that actively transport moisture from wet areas to dry ones — which is why it can spread into wood that appears dry. Killing the fungus requires physical removal of infected material and substrate treatment. You cannot paint or seal over an active colony.
Wood with moisture content below 20% will not sustain fungal decay. In Tacoma, moisture intrusion sources include failed flashing, clogged gutters, grade slope toward the foundation, crawl space condensation, and failed window or door caulking. Correcting the source is not optional — a repair without moisture correction is a temporary repair, regardless of how well the carpentry is executed.
A dry rot colony discovered in exterior siding is often already present in the sheathing beneath it. A colony in a rim joist is often tracking into the sill plate and adjacent floor joists. Surface-visible rot represents the minimum scope — actual infection extent is always determined by probe and is frequently larger than what's visible. This is why we map infection before we quote.
For any structural member, the only permanent repair is complete physical removal of all infected material — cutting past visibly affected wood until clean, sound fiber is reached — followed by fungicide application to the remaining substrate and rebuild with appropriate species and treatment level. We do not use epoxy consolidants on load-bearing members. Cosmetic applications are appropriate only for non-structural trim.
Wood cracked in a distinctive cube-like or checkerboard pattern — different from splitting grain — is a signature of advanced dry rot fungal activity.
Paint lifting or bubbling on exterior siding, trim, or window surrounds — particularly on north-facing or shaded elevations — often indicates rot in the substrate beneath.
A persistent musty smell in the crawl space, near exterior walls, or around windows and doors is often active fungal decay, not just moisture. Source must be identified and stopped.
Exterior wood that feels soft, spongy, or hollow when pressed — especially at the bottom of siding boards, fascia ends, or window sill nosings — is actively decayed.
Dark brown or black discoloration on floor joists, sill plates, or rim joists — especially near exterior walls and low-bearing points — indicates active or historical fungal decay.
Floor soft spots near exterior walls — particularly in bathrooms, kitchens, and entry areas — often indicate rot in the subfloor or underlying floor joists from chronic moisture intrusion.
Visible white, gray, or silky fungal strands (mycelium) on wood surfaces in the crawl space or on structural framing. Active colony — requires immediate assessment.
Porch posts that rock, lean, or feel soft at the base have almost certainly experienced post base or sill rot. The post is cosmetically intact but structurally failed.
Dry rot reaches every part of a wood-framed exterior. We repair all of it — from structural framing in the crawl space to trim details at the roofline.
License Note: All carpentry, framing, and rot repair work is performed directly by APCON LLC under GC License #APCONL*825QO. If rot remediation exposes plumbing or electrical systems requiring licensed trade work, those scopes are GC-coordinated under RCW 18.106 and RCW 19.28 respectively.
The most common structural rot location in Tacoma's housing stock. Where framing meets foundation — perpetually exposed to ground moisture and splash-back. Full excision required; no partial repairs on bearing members.
Crawl space moisture, failed vapor barriers, and standing water create conditions for joist rot. We map the full infection extent — which always exceeds what's visible from below — before scoping repair.
Failed caulking, inadequate flashing, and grade issues allow moisture behind siding. Sheathing rot frequently exists behind intact-looking surface material. We expose, map, and rebuild correctly.
Post bases, beam ends, ledger connections, and decking are all high-risk rot locations. We assess the full structural condition before any cosmetic repair — a rotten post base under an intact-looking column is a safety issue, not an aesthetic one.
Fascia and soffit rot is often the first visible indicator of a moisture problem that has already reached the framing behind it. We assess depth of infection before treating as cosmetic scope.
Failed window caulking and improper flashing allow water to track into the rough opening framing — invisible from outside until the rot is advanced. We assess headers, sill horns, and jack studs before scoping.
The most common dry rot repair failure is underscoped excision — cutting to the edge of visible rot rather than probing to find where the infection actually ends. We map first, every time.
Schedule online or call. We arrive with probes, moisture meters, and full crawl space access capability. The $350 diagnostic fee credits 100% toward your repair.
We probe systematically beyond the visible damage boundary to find where sound wood actually starts. Moisture readings taken at all suspect locations. We do not scope from a visual walkthrough.
We trace the moisture path that produced the rot condition — failed flashing, drainage grade, crawl space condensation, clogged gutters. The source is documented in your written report.
You receive a documented report with infection extent, moisture source, and a fixed lump-sum repair price. Structural vs. cosmetic scope is clearly delineated. One price — no surprises after the wall opens.
Infected material is physically removed to clean fiber. Substrate receives fungicide treatment. Moisture source correction is executed concurrent with structural rebuild — not deferred to a second visit.
Because we correct the moisture source, the infection cannot return. We back that with a written 5-year guarantee. Same rot location from our repair — we return, no charge, no paperwork.
Dry rot returns when moisture returns. A perfectly executed rot repair that leaves the moisture source unaddressed will fail again — typically within two to four wet seasons. This is the exact failure mode behind every "the contractor already fixed this" conversation we have with new clients.
Our process requires identifying and correcting the moisture source concurrent with the structural repair. We do not schedule the drainage correction for a future visit. We do not leave the moisture condition in place and rebuild over it. Both problems are solved in one scope.
When the moisture source is corrected and all infected material is fully excised, the fungal colony has no path to re-establish. We back that with a written guarantee: same rot location fails from our repair within five years, we come back at no charge. No paperwork. No runaround. One call.
5-Year Written Guarantee — All Dry Rot RepairsDry rot is rarely an isolated finding. These services are frequently scoped and executed concurrently.
Every wet season an untreated rot colony is active, it expands its footprint. The repair you defer today is a larger repair next year. Book a $350 diagnostic — we map the infection, find the moisture source, and give you a fixed price to solve it permanently.
253-891-9622