Settling veranda a simple challenge

First global warming, and now (gasp!)... the Earth is shrinking!

OK, settling.

Well, it is under my front veranda anyway.

Years ago when the deck/veranda was built, the guys said, "Y’know, since we’re just putting concrete pads under the supports for this veranda, with wet years, dry years, frost heaving etc., this deck is going to move up and down some.

So we’re building the part that holds the top of the post to allow it to slide up and down some. If needs be, you can then adjust the deck back to an average height."

As you can see from where the stain ends on the post, the deck has dropped considerably with the dry weather of late. So, soon, I have to get under my veranda and, using my handy 20-ton hydraulic jack, lift the deck at all three front support points, back to the height it was when it was built. I’ve had to do this a couple of times over the years.

Then, depending on conditions, the deck generally floats up and down within an inch or so of the stain line for a few years, till the change gets a little extreme, and before the post drops out of its "socket," I do my duty and all is well again.

Don’t know if a floating post is a standard idea, but it’s a good one, and I’m sure glad they used it here.

And now, with aging (the veranda, not me), I have another urgent issue to contend with.

Some of the floor, where there’s an eavestrough drip, is rotting, already to the point where a person’s foot could go right through and have the deck swallow their leg. Pain and possible lawsuit. So I now also have to repair the flooring on the deck, and obviously, the leak in the eavestrough.

Okay, no big deal, that I can do.

Probably the biggest challenge with this front porch presently, is that it all needs restaining/painting, especially all the spindles, which are showing some rot in places, the most blatant sign of which being when they fall out.

If I can find these same spindles somewhere, I can just replace the rotting ones, paint ’em up, and we’re good again for a few years.

If not, being of Scottish blood, my "fix" would be to cut the rotten couple of inches off the bottom, replace it with a pressure-treated piece, and reinstall it.

That’s what my handyman dad would have done. A penny saved is a penny earned.

But then, with the replaced/repaired spindles in place, they ALL need repainting. What a pain in the "ass"pen. Maybe I should just replace the railing, spindles and posts with a new plastic version of what I have now, solving the problem permanently.

However, I think that would cost more than I’m willing to spend right now, so probably that will have to wait till this latest repair/stain/paint lives its life. Scottish roots run deep. I’m actually also thinking of screening this whole veranda in, as they did in the good old days. Never hurts to have another outdoor mosquito-free zone and it would look nice.

I’ll ponder that one for a bit. No rush.

Stay tuned, I’ll let you know how that all turns out. Or if you have some advice to offer, it would be much appreciated. You can reach me via the contact info below.

But enough about the veranda for a moment. Allow me to switch over to a beef I’ve been wanting to get off my chest for some time.

There is a beautiful line of willows along my driveway, trees and shrubs here, there and everywhere throughout the yard, and in the backyard, a Green Giant poplar I planted personally.

Wondering why the willows seemed to be somewhat unhealthy, and having a couple of concerns about other bush/tree challenges, I called in an expert (a professional arborist) to have a look and give me some advice as to what I should do to remedy the situation, if anything.

He came, looking woodsy officious, told me the willows were diseased, incurable, rip them out, told me my beautiful Green Giant poplar had a disease spot about halfway up ("better to cut the tree down now than have it come down in a strong wind"), grumbled about the condition of some other bushes and trees in my yard, charged me a hundred and some bucks and left.

Later that day, my neighbour was over. I told him about the willows, he said, "Nah, we’ll just cut them down some and they’ll regrow just fine." They did.

I never touched my beloved poplar — it stands very tall and extremely healthy all these years later, and nothing else he predicted the demise of ever croaked, and are all still healthy today. Expert, eh?

Moral of the story: always get a second opinion. I demand a refund!

Comments or feedback, love to hear from you!

lmustard1948@gmail.com