A Fungus Among Us

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Often, rot is a symptom of improper alterations to the original building design, because old-growth wood combined with the knowledgable design of pre WWII buildings, is a very durable combination.  Repairs can usually be done more economically than tearing out an entire window system and replacing it.

The first example below is from a bungalow on the North side of Chicago, where a layer of siding was added without proper detailing.  The second example is from a 24-flat on the South side, where all the original wood sills had been wrapped with aluminum, trapping moisture.