Sill Framing Replacement Cost

Construction ITEM DESCRIPTION

Construction estimating unit cost for replacement of an existing, rotted sill.

This is a minimum "ballpark" price for a fairly easy replacement. You may need to add quite a bit of time if there are complications.

Unit Size

One lineal foot of sill.

Labor Costs

We figure about 6 1/2 lineal feet of sill removed and replaced per hour.

This will cover a minimum amount of bracing and jacking, then chopping out the old sill and slipping in a new sill.

Any of the following can greatly increase the cost for sill replacements:

• Rot extending up into wall framing members.
• Wiring or plumbing fastened to the sill or drilled through it.
• Large sill beams.
• Old stone foundations with irregular top surfaces.
• Sills that need to be replaced from the exterior because of limited access from the interior (you'll probably need to add the cost of removal and replacement of siding or skirt boards).
• Lack of places for jacking or bracing the existing framing, or bracing locations that require removal of siding or trim.
• Serious sagging of the structure (especially if there is danger of popping utilities or damaging windows or doors when the structure is returned to level conditions).

Material Costs

Two lineal feet of 2x6 framing per foot, with 8% waste factor.

HINT-- For old post and beam construction you may need additional lumber to build up to the original sill size.

Suggested Quantity

Goldenseal suggests the calculated foundation length. You can type in a different quantity if that seems appropriate.

Source of Construction Pricing

Turtle Creek Construction did about 20 sill replacement projects over the years. Based on that experience, this is a very simple summation of the basic cost for non-complicated sill replacement work.

As with any rehab project, there are often complications, so you'll need to do a thorough inspection of visible conditions before coming up with a firm price (and even then, make sure you have a good "hidden conditions" clause!)

When estimating the cost for sills that require extra futzing, the best bet is to add unit costs for work that is similar to what you need, or make an overall time estimate/guess (and then double or quadruple it, depending on your level of innate optimism). Or best of all, just do the work as time and materials.

Places Included

Architect Starter File, Construction Starter File.

Comments

Click here for more about Goldenseal construction estimating software.

Click here for other framing estimating costs.