PSA: That 5 minute crawl space vent screen swap took me 9 hours

Went to replace a rotted vent screen off Camino del Valle last Saturday, thought it was a simple 5 minute job. The old screen was stapled to the framing but the staples had rusted through, and the frame itself was completely rotted on the bottom edge. Ended up having to cut out 3 feet of the sill plate, shore up the floor joist with a temp jack, and rebuild that whole corner. Took me from 9 am to 6 pm with three trips to Home Depot for pressure treated lumber and proper vent clips. All because I didn't stick my head in there and check the wood before I started pulling staples. Has anyone else been burned by a tiny fix that turned into a full framing repair around here?

1 comments

1 Comment

lucasking1mo ago

Always poke the wood with a screwdriver before touching anything, saved me twice now.