Verandah
February 8th, 2007
Wednesday 31st Jan
Although the lower verandah looks serviceable, the treated pine joists supporting the pine tongue and groove flooring have been let-in to the bearers because the stumps were positioned too high. This has left about 50mm of support.
While it may be enough for low-level ground level use, it is inadequate for the first floor or for supporting the weight of the verandah posts and the rest of the first floor structure.
After digging holes for new stumps aligned with the posts I noticed that the existing stumps were put in very haphazardly.
Decision: Remove the ground floor verandah and start again with a view to either removing the existing stumps or cutting them down 50mm so that proper joists can be used to support the verandah.
Found that the pine floor boards had been attached with screw-down nails making it very difficult to save much. The treated pine joists were 2nd hand.
Demolished protruding and unsupported skillion roof and found plate to be OK. Supported it with a prop.
Began removing facia to discover similar let-in and 2nd hand construction of first floor. There is much more dry rot and white ant damage hidden beneath the fascia.
Decision: Demolish entire verandah and start afresh. There is nothing to be gained by propping up the first floor and then removing it afterwards. It would not be cost effective to keep it because it would slow the construction process up and probably be very dangerous.
The first floor verandah roof has been bolted together and is screwed down at the eaves making it impossible to detach from below. The eaves are about 6.5m off the ground. My ladder extends to about 6.2m.
Ladder saga:
Asked at the garage for who might have a high ladder. Found Pyranees View Hire just our of town down a dirt road. No ladders. They suggested Maryborough Hire. Drove to Maryborough to find that ladders were no longer hired because of the 2m rule (no one should go more than 2m up a ladder). Checked at both hardware stores to find only short ladders. However, noticed a large ladder leaning against the shed wall. Turned out that it belonged to Bill the electrician. Rang Bill who was happy to hire it out to me for the afternoon and very trusting.
On return to Avoca found that it stretched about 6.4m. Backed up the ute and got Rose to hold the base secure while I ground off enough of the eave screws to allow me to work from below. Quite scary.
The roof had not only been bolted together and screwed down but each sheet had also been nailed down in the valleys beneath the lead flashing. This made it very awkward to remove. The lead flashing was so heavy that it sat in place by gravity.
Even more scary wrestling with the sheets while standing on the top of a fold out ladder on rotten joists. Seems to me that there must be some extended joists running out from the house that are holding up the first floor. Otherwise it should have collapsed.
Thursday 1st Feb
Yikes! Removed the rest of the front fascia to find that the top plate had been completely eaten out by white ants and that the places where the plate rested on the treated pine posts was also rotten.
Made piles of concrete blocks to support Acrow props and raised a 6m length of hardwood with ropes so that the load would be distributed.
Finished removing the first floor roof. The posts were set into mortices in the top plate which was mainly sound except for the ends which were rotten and split. The northern plate came off OK but the southern plate was difficult and although rotten I had to cut it to get it off. Needed Rose to hold it while I cut it through.
This left the long plate. I was able to prize it off the tenons but neither of us wanted to chance trying to lift it off when it was so heavy and there was nothing to stand on.
We imagined a sky hook and in no time at all had worked out a way that we could attach the shower pulleys to a ladder section supported by a rope tensioned off a beam in the doorway. It worked like a charm and we were able to lift the entire plate into the air and then lower it down onto the first floor. It was then fairly simple to remove the balustrading as the post were flopping around.
To celebrate, we left for a pub dinner about 8:15pm and heard a crash. One of the treated pine posts now relieved of the weight of the balustrading had fallen out. No damage and the Acrows held.
Friday 2nd Feb
Removed the Baltic pine first floor, took down all the posts and began working through the protruding first floor joists and bearers. Each one has its own story and need to be assessed on its merits.
Left the Acrows in place rather than disturb the supporting structure.
When Rose left, I cleaned up and worked on the fireplace brickwork in the back room.
19th February 2007
Removed remaining timbers from first floor and noticed how individual joists had been numbered.
Then cut down all the stumps by 40mm so that there would be room on the bearers for 100mm joists and proper support for the posts.
22nd February 2007
Simon Hutchinson arrived to help and we quickly discovered an excellent working partnership. First we set up a solid bed of joists
and then began preparing the ground floor posts.
Simon working on ground floor posts
23rd February 2007
Standing up and bracing the first post (Simon and Jack)
Simon with the first two posts and bracing
attaching the centre posts to the top plate
25th February 2007
Ground floor posts attached with first floor joists
Simon preparing first floor posts
first floor flooring gives us something to stand on
Smoko: L-R Jeff , Mel, Matt, Roy,Tricia, Wayne, Simon
Simon Pockley