What the roof sits on matters as much as the roof
A roof is only as sound as the rafters, trusses and decking beneath it, and those are the parts nobody sees. A tree that comes through the roof breaks rafters and cracks trusses. A leak that ran for years rots the decking and the top plates of the wall below. A fire chars framing that looks intact from the outside. Termites and Mid-South humidity work on sill plates and floor joists in a crawl space for a decade before a floor starts to sag. In every one of those cases, putting a new roof or new drywall over the damage produces a house that looks fixed and is not.
We repair structure as part of restoration work: sistering or replacing broken rafters and rotted joists, rebuilding damaged truss members to an engineer's specification where one is required, replacing rotted decking and sheathing, repairing top plates and headers, shoring and replacing fire-damaged framing, and addressing the crawl-space and foundation-level problems that cause floors to sag and walls to crack. Where a job needs an engineer's assessment or a permit, we get it.
Most of this work is discovered rather than planned: the crew tears off a storm-damaged roof and finds the decking rotted from a leak that predates the storm, or opens a water-damaged ceiling and finds the joists have gone. That is why our estimates price decking and framing repair per unit up front, so the discovery is a line item rather than a surprise.
- Roof framing: broken or rotted rafters sistered or replaced, damaged truss members repaired to specification, ridge and hip repairs.
- Decking and sheathing replaced wherever it is soft, delaminated or rotted, before a new roof goes on.
- Wall framing: top plates, headers, studs and sill plates damaged by water, fire or impact.
- Floor framing: joists, girders and subfloor in crawl spaces damaged by moisture, termites or long-term leaks.
- Fire-damaged framing assessed, shored and replaced, not painted over.
- Engineering and permits where the repair requires them, coordinated with the local building authority. Claim handled where the damage is covered.
How structural repair runs
Assessment
What is damaged, how far it extends and what caused it. Structural damage almost always extends past what is visible, and we check the framing around the obvious damage, not just the obvious damage.
Make it safe
Where the structure is compromised, temporary shoring goes in before anyone works beneath it, and the roof is tarped so the framing stops taking on water.
Engineering and permits where needed
Truss repairs and significant load-bearing work are done to an engineer's specification and permitted with the local jurisdiction. Your project manager coordinates both.
Repair
Damaged members are replaced or sistered with properly sized lumber and the right connectors, decking is replaced, and the repair is inspected before it is covered.
Close it up properly
The roof, the exterior and the interior go back over a structure that is sound, and the cause — the leak, the gutter, the ventilation, the drainage — is fixed so it does not happen again.
Why homeowners choose LASIM for structural work
We look before we cover
Every roof tear-off and every water-damage rebuild includes a look at the framing beneath. Rot found is rot fixed.
Priced per unit, up front
Decking and framing repair is a line item on the estimate, so discovery is a number you already know, not a surprise.
Engineered where it counts
Truss and load-bearing repairs done to specification and permitted, not improvised on site.
The cause gets fixed too
Rotted framing has a water source. As a roofing company, we fix the roof, the gutter or the flashing that fed it.
Structural Repair Questions
Very. Most roofs that are being replaced have leaked somewhere for a while, and the decking under those spots is often soft or rotted. That is why we price decking replacement per sheet in the estimate before the tear-off, so it is a known number rather than a mid-job negotiation. Replacing it is not optional; new shingles over rotted decking will not hold nails.
Usually repaired. Broken rafters are typically sistered with new lumber of the same size or replaced individually, and the decking and roof over them rebuilt. If the damage involves trusses, which are engineered assemblies, the repair is done to an engineer's specification. A full roof structure rebuild is rare and only when the damage is extensive.
For truss repairs, changes to load-bearing walls, and significant framing damage, yes, and most jurisdictions require an engineer's letter for the permit. For replacing rotted decking or sistering a broken rafter, generally not. We tell you which applies and coordinate the engineer when one is needed.
Often, and in the Mid-South the usual cause is moisture or termite damage to floor joists or a girder in the crawl space, or a pier that has settled. It is worth having looked at, because floor framing problems get worse and more expensive with time. An assessment from the crawl space tells you what is going on.
If the damage was caused by a covered event such as a storm, a fallen tree or a fire, generally yes, and rotted decking discovered during a covered roof replacement is often claimable as a supplement. Damage from long-term neglect, termites or settlement usually is not. We document the cause and present the claim accurately.
Yes, and that is the normal order: the roof comes off, the framing and decking are repaired and inspected, and the new roof goes on over sound structure, all by the same crew under the same project manager. Doing them separately means opening the roof twice.