GotRot's new guide explains why Western Washington homeowners may benefit from repairing dry rot before winter, using a Woodinville chimney leak restoration to illustrate hidden damage, moisture control, and the factors that affect repair costs.

Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - October 22, 2026) - GotRot, a Washington contractor specializing in dry rot repair and moisture-related building restoration, recently published a guide explaining why Western Washington homeowners do not necessarily need to postpone dry rot repairs until spring. The article, written by GotRot co-owner Mark Kovalevich, features a restoration in Woodinville. In that house, a leak near the chimney had spread from the siding into the sheathing and framing behind it.

The Greater Seattle contractor walks through a repair in Woodinville, where failed chimney flashing had let water rot the wall behind the siding.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/12530/320355_f61e4391b49aa8bb_001full.jpg

The guide, Should You Repair Dry Rot Before Winter in Western Washington?, looks at how seasonal rainfall affects wood that is already deteriorating. It also explains why the damage a homeowner can see often understates the repair scope.

"If you already know there is dry rot, I would take care of it before winter rather than leave the problem sitting until spring," Kovalevich writes in the article. In his view, the deciding factors are whether water is still getting in and how far the damage has spread. The calendar comes second.

The Woodinville homeowner first noticed an active leak near the chimney, with soft siding around it. When GotRot opened the wall, the crew found about 12 water-soaked siding boards. The rot had also reached the sheathing and several framing members behind them. The source was inadequate flashing around the chimney, which had been channeling water into the exterior wall assembly. Crews rebuilt the damaged framing and reflashed the chimney before closing the wall with new sheathing and siding. The work was done in the middle of the rainy season without waiting for spring.

The article also gives homeowners a 2026 cost reference. GotRot uses approximately $3,500 as a planning baseline for many dry rot repair projects. The figure is neither a minimum charge nor a guaranteed price. Actual cost depends on how far the hidden damage reaches and what it takes to stop the water at its source.

A separate section of the guide deals with epoxy. When rot involves structural members or runs behind finished surfaces, GotRot generally replaces the deteriorated wood and does not treat epoxy as a permanent fix. Epoxy can work for some limited nonstructural repairs once the moisture source has been corrected. It cannot stop an active leak, and it cannot show what is happening inside the wall.

According to the article, serious fungal decay in wood generally requires moisture content above the fiber-saturation point, which averages about 30%. An unresolved leak can keep exterior wood above that level through Western Washington's wetter months, even when the visible damage looks minor.

Kovalevich cautions against assuming that every delay makes a repair more expensive, since the final scope depends on the building's condition. Postponing an unresolved leak simply because winter has arrived, however, can leave the affected wood exposed to months of additional moisture.

For homeowners who discover signs of dry rot before winter, the first step is to determine where moisture is entering and how much of the wood has been affected. More information about identifying and addressing dry rot is available at igotrot.com.

About GotRot

GotRot is a Washington contractor specializing in dry rot repair and moisture-related building restoration. Founded in 2023, the company operates from locations in Everett and Woodinville and serves residential and commercial properties across Greater Seattle, the Eastside, and Snohomish County. GotRot provides dry rot inspection and repair, siding and deck repair, wood frame restoration, roof and water leak repair, window and door repair, and crawl space repair. The company is licensed and insured and backs its work with a 24-month warranty.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/320355