The homeowner had been stepping over the broken board for eight months. She'd been meaning to call. Life got busy. And honestly, it didn't seem that urgent — it was just one board, and she knew where it was.
She didn't realize her kids were doing the same thing. Or that the board had been flexing against the stringer beneath it every time someone stepped on it, slowly working the fasteners loose.
What the Scope Discovery Revealed
The broken board was the visible symptom. The cause was a rotted stringer — the diagonal framing member that supports the stair treads. The rot had started at the base of the stringer where it contacts the concrete landing, a classic moisture trap in Pacific Northwest conditions. Research from the North American Deck and Railing Association confirms that moisture entry points at structural connections are the leading cause of stair and deck failures. [1]
We also found a lattice panel on the side of the porch that had been holding moisture against the siding. The lattice itself was in poor condition, but more importantly, the siding behind it showed early signs of moisture damage — soft spots in the paint, slight discoloration at the bottom course. Caught now, it's a $200 repair. Left for another season, it becomes a siding replacement.
The Repair Sequence
We replaced the rotted stringer with pressure-treated lumber, re-set the existing treads, and replaced the broken board. We removed the deteriorated lattice panel, treated the siding behind it with a wood hardener, and installed new lattice with a proper gap at the bottom to allow air circulation and prevent future moisture accumulation.
Total time: about four hours. Total cost: $680. The homeowner's reaction when we walked her through what we'd found and what we'd done: 'I had no idea the stringer was the problem. I thought it was just a board.'
Why This Is Exactly What the 360° Method Is For
This is exactly why we developed the 360° Method — a complete walk-through of every system in your home, not just the one you called about. A broken board is a symptom. The 360° Method finds the cause. In this case, the cause was a rotted stringer and a moisture-trapping lattice panel. Finding both on the same visit saved this homeowner from two separate repair calls — and from a siding replacement that would have cost 10 times what the lattice repair cost.
Don't wait for a fall. We'll assess your exterior for free.