Froggy (construction) types Siding replacement question...

[Microcell]

Okay deep breath....

We have a chimney that had that Masonite siding. We got our settlement and are taking down the siding today. We have carpenter ants there in the one wet corner. We originally thought some 2 by 4s needed replacing, but we just found that though the wood is pretty solid under the fire box, the carpenters have been doing their work there, just on one side of it. My question is- Is there some way after we get rid of the ants that we can seal that big piece of wood instead of replacing it, because it is part of the foundation, and that would require a contactor, which we can't afford. Or would it dry over time as long as we seal up the new siding really well and keep a close eye out for those big ants?

Be brutal, we will have to find the money if we need to.

 

[FroggyinArk]

ok if the wood is still solid, you should be able to spray the ants, alllow the wood time to dry and then make a decision if possible. if that time frames not do-able, ( you dont say what you are re-siding with,) you could possibly reinforce that area by adding extra farming and be ok, the big if here is does trhis wood support the weight of the chimney????? if it is support framing i would probably go ahead and call a carpenter to make the final call.

 

[Microcell]

Our neighbors got involved and we got to talking about the fact that there is water damage there due to the bad siding, so we think we may need to call our homeowners insurance to see about a water damage claim, and we may need to call an exterminator about the ants, because there were alot, and we wonder if they spread into the attic or not.

Our other neighbor is a carpenter, and it is the load bearing part, so we may ask him. We are putting on hardboard siding to match the rest of the house. Dh is wavering on if he should do it all or not. He has a threshold on the height factor, and our house is about four feet higher than his comfort!