Col's Construction Blog
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Col's Construction Blog

Hello! Welcome to my blog. My name is Col. I live in Perth and I have a passion for construction. I am pretty useless when it comes to construction work so I tend to leave it to the experts. However, I find that there is nothing more pleasing than seeing a team of construction workers complete a job. Over the years, I have hired many different types of construction worker and they have all taken the time to chat with me. During these conversations, I have learnt so pretty interesting things which I will be exploring on this blog. Enjoy!

Col's Construction Blog

2 situations to replace some of your home's timber wall frames

Ethan Burton

There are a number of situations which may call for the replacement of a few of your home's timber wall frames. Carry on reading to find out what these situations are.

1. Your foundation has shifted as a result of subsidence

If your house's foundation has shifted as a result of subsidence (i.e. because the level of moisture in the soil under the foundation has dropped so low that the soil itself has shrunk and caused the foundation that lies on top of it to sink downward), then it is possible that the timber wall frames in your home may need to be replaced.

The reason for this is that when a house's foundation is perfectly level, the pressure placed on the wall frames by the roof materials and upper floor trusses is, by and large, evenly distributed. This means that no single wall frame has to bear too much weight. However, if subsidence causes the foundation to shift, the wall frames in some wall cavities within the house may end up being subjected to more weight than they are designed to bear.

This could cause these wooden components to bow and eventually break. If this breakage occurs, cracks may form in both the exterior wall render and interior wall plaster, and the upper floors that are supported by these damaged wall frames may start to sag. This is why, if you suspect your house's wall frames have been affected by subsidence, you should arrange for a builder to replace these components before they break.

2. A tree has fallen on your roof and has caused it to cave in

If as a result of a tree falling on top of your house, the roof has caved in, you may need to replace not only the roof but also some of the timber wall frames in your property. The reason for this is as follows; if it rains for even just an hour or two whilst there a large hole in your roof, a significant amount of rainwater could get into your home.

If this rainwater lands on some of the walls in the upper floor of your property and permeates the wall plaster in these areas, it could then make dampen the timber wall frames that sit behind this plaster. Moisture can wreak havoc on a house's wall frames, as it can help to create a perfect environment for wet rot fungal spores to grow in. These spores will rapidly digest any wooden surfaces that they grow on and in doing so, will eventually destroy these items.

As such, if your wall frames get damp after a tree creates a hole in your roof, you will probably have to get them replaced.  


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