Wood Rot Repair in Houston, TX
Silverheels Construction repairs and replaces rotted exterior wood across the Houston area — fascia, soffit, trim, siding, window and door frames, deck boards, and post bases. We cut back to sound wood rather than patching over rot, and we look for what kept the wood wet — drainage, gutters, paint failure, or ground contact — so the repair lasts. We replace damaged wood; we don't treat for termites. Free estimates.
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Houston's humidity keeps exterior wood damp, and damp wood rots. It's one of the most common repairs on any older home here, and one almost nobody has a straight answer for. Wood rot repair means cutting out the decayed wood back to solid material, replacing it, and — the part that actually matters — fixing whatever kept the wood wet in the first place. We repair rotted exterior wood across the Houston area and tell you what caused it, so you're not doing it again in two years.
How to tell wood rot from a stain
A dark patch on wood can be two very different things: a surface stain, which is cosmetic, or rot, which is the wood itself breaking down. The way to tell them apart is to probe it. Press a screwdriver or an awl into the suspect area — sound wood is firm and resists; rotted wood is soft and spongy, crumbles, or lets the tool sink right in.
The catch is that rot often hides under intact paint. The surface looks fine, even freshly painted, while the wood behind it has gone punky. That's why we probe rather than judge by looks. "Dry rot" is a common name for it, but it's a misnomer — the fungus that causes it needs moisture to grow; in Houston it's almost always wet rot driven by humidity and standing water. Peeling paint, dark streaks, soft edges, and any fungus growth are all worth a probe.
Where exterior wood rot starts
Rot begins wherever water sits or wicks into the wood, so it shows up in the same places on house after house.
The bottom edge of siding, from splash-back and ground contact — rotted siding usually starts low. Fascia ends and the boards behind gutters, from roof runoff and overflow. Around windows and doors, where failed caulk or flashing lets water in — a rotted window sill or door frame is one of the most common calls. Deck ledgers and the boards where a deck meets the house. Post bases sitting in or near the soil, where a rotted post has to be replaced. And any horizontal surface — sills, rails, trim tops — that holds water instead of shedding it. We check the whole run, because rot rarely stops exactly where you can see it, and rotted deck boards and trim often hide more behind them.
Cutting back to sound wood — why patching fails
The only durable repair is to remove all of the decayed wood back to solid material and replace it with new lumber — back-primed on all sides, end grain sealed, and flashed so water sheds instead of pooling. On siding, fascia, and trim we match the existing profile so the exterior wood replacement reads with the rest of the house.
Patching over rot with filler is why people repair the same spot twice. Filler doesn't kill the fungus or stop the moisture, and it often traps water against the good wood behind it, so the rot keeps spreading under a smooth surface. Epoxy consolidants have a place — on small, fully dried, arrested spots where the source is already fixed — but over active, wet rot they just hide it. If the wood is gone, it gets cut out, not filled.
What causes wood rot — drainage, gutters, paint, ground contact
New wood rots as fast as the old wood if the thing that soaked it is still there, so we find the source before we call a repair finished.
Four causes account for most of it: drainage and grading that send water toward the house instead of away; gutters that overflow, clog, or dump runoff against the fascia and foundation (see our gutter installation page); paint failure that leaves bare wood open to the weather; and ground contact, where siding bottoms, posts, and steps wick moisture straight out of the soil. We fix or flag the source — re-flashing a window, correcting a downspout, keeping wood up off the dirt — so the replacement wood stays sound.
Termite damage vs. rot — we replace, we don't treat
Rot and termite damage can look alike from a distance, but they're different problems. Rot is fungal decay from moisture; termite damage leaves hollowed wood, mud tubes, and galleries eaten along the grain. Both leave you with wood that has to be replaced.
We replace wood damaged by either one — cutting out the compromised material and rebuilding it sound. What we do not do is termite treatment. Killing an active infestation is a licensed pest-control specialty, and if termites are still active, that treatment should happen first so they don't move into the new wood. Once the colony is handled, we replace the damage they left. We'll tell you plainly when what we're looking at is termites rather than rot.
What drives wood rot repair cost in Houston
We price after probing the actual wood, but the things that move a wood rot repair cost are worth knowing:
How much wood is rotted — a single fascia end is a small job; a whole run of siding or trim is not, and rot often extends past what's visible until it's opened up. Access and height — second-story fascia and steep rooflines mean ladders or scaffold and more time. Whether it's trim or structure — a decorative trim board is simpler than a post or ledger carrying load. Matching an older profile that isn't sold off the shelf. And fixing the source — gutter, flashing, drainage, or paint work that comes with the repair. New wood is primed and painted to match. These are the drivers, not a number — we quote after seeing it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if it's rot or just a stain?
Probe it with a screwdriver. Sound wood is firm and resists; rotted wood is soft, spongy, or crumbles, and the tool sinks in. Rot often hides under intact paint, so the surface can look fine while the wood behind it is gone — which is why we test rather than judge by looks.
Can't you just fill the rot with wood filler or epoxy?
Over active, wet rot, no — filler doesn't stop the fungus or the moisture and traps water against the good wood, so it comes back. We cut back to sound wood and replace it. Epoxy has a place only on small, fully dried, arrested spots where the source is already fixed.
What causes wood rot on a Houston house?
Moisture — usually drainage sending water at the house, gutters overflowing onto the fascia, paint failure exposing bare wood, or wood in contact with the ground. We fix or flag the source, because new wood rots just as fast if whatever soaked the old wood is still there.
Do you treat termites?
No. We replace wood damaged by rot or termites, but termite treatment is a licensed pest-control specialty. If termites are active, get them treated first so they don't move into the new wood; then we replace the damage they left.
Where does exterior rot usually start?
Where water sits: the bottom edge of siding, fascia ends and behind gutters, around windows and doors, deck ledgers, and post bases near the ground. It rarely stops where you can see it, so we check the full run.
Do you paint the repair afterward?
Yes. New wood is back-primed and painted to match, and on older siding and trim we match the profile so the repair blends in rather than standing out.
Service areas
- The Heights
- Bellaire
- Katy
- Sugar Land
- Cypress
- Kingwood
- Pearland
- Spring Branch