Need advice to fix this enough to get by this season.

I've scabbed in a piece of plywood where our side wall rotted. If you can scrape out most of the old rotted wood, cut a piece of plywood to fit and glue it in with some strong construction glue. The EternaBond will definitely seal it tight. Ours is 8+ years since doing the roof with it, still no leaks!

 

FWIW, you can certainly do as you see fit to get by but remember that if you run bolts through the sideboard, you'll have holes through the outer sidewall skin that will need patching and you'll kick yourself if you plan to reuse the skin later.

If that 4" junction box cover is big enough to span the soft spots and you can use 1/2" screws to hold it in place and support the lift post, you might be able to get away without damaging the outer skin. So much the better if there's enough integrity in the sideboard that you can use PL3 Premium to glue the junction box cover in place as well. I realize it might not work if the wood is saturated and rotting, but thought I'd mention an alternative.

Another idea might be to use an galvanized structural strap or tie plate on the inside. They're super cheap and come in tons of sizes with holes stamped in them. Head down to HomeDepot and look in the aisle with joist hangers. You should easily find one large enough to span the rotted section(s) where you can screw into dry wood. You'll find them at any building center that sells joist hangers. Same deal as mentioned above. Glue it to sound wood with PL Premium, screw it in place and you're off to the races.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-ZMAX-Galvanized-16-Gauge-5-in-x-8-in-Protecting-Shield-Plate-Nail-Stopper-PSPN58Z/100375296?N=5yc1vZaqta

 

Yes, that looks about right but shouldn't that Tee-nut be concealed by a reflector? What I understood was that you were planning to add another bolt or two and those would be hard to hide behind a reflector.

Whatever you decide, it's wise to caulk behind the outer cover/trim/reflector in order to seal up the Tee-nuts that the lift post bolts to.

 

And the other three are the same? Is that factory installed?

 

I would just cut a pice of 1x2 board to length, raise the roof then install it. no more holes in an already rotten wood.

good luck.

 

I was thinking the same thing. After you have the roof raise , wedge a 2-4 or 1-2 that is the right length into that corner to raise the corner up.

 

sorry, sometimes my head does not connect with what i write, yes, as a prop rod.

 

Can somebody tell me what those brackets are? I haven't seen mine, but I know they need to be replaced. I've got bolts sticking out of the sideboard on 3 corners of the roof. I can't take a picture because I don't have a camera or a phone. Thanks