Hi Everyone,

We are going to have part of the rear of the house renovated but by whom - a contractor or I - it hasn't been decided yet. Although I have never attempted anything like this before I am willing to have a go although I suppose most of you would say I am biting off more that I can chew. After all by law would I be allowed to tackle a job like this?. However, if I am and I do have a go and it doesn't workout I can always get the contractor in. Thus I am testing the waters here by picking your brains as to how to go about it should I go for it.

Given the distance across the section is 3.5m can I get away with just one length of board acoss that distance (when allowed to)?. Do I start from the bottom and work up by putting in a nail just above the top of the lower weatherbord and into the batton?. Should I change the wooden stud in the corner that appears to have seen better days?. What type of nails do I use?. Should the gutter board have a metal strip over it and sit between it and the gutter?.

I suppose I could write a few more questions but someone may suggest a book that would answer all these sort of queries.

I would appreciate any answers to the many questions I have asked irrespective of how negative they may appear.

Cheers
David

Attached Thumbnails

       

What caused this in the begining? then work your way back!

Fair point. You need to work out where the water is getting in. The guttering itself looks OK in the picture, so if it is not there, then maybe your roof is at fault.

Once you work that out - you need to fix it first, then go about repairing the crook weatherboards. You will easily get 3.5m lengths (you can get them up to 5.7's and should cost you about $2.50/m pre primed). If you can get away with no joins, then all the better. Looks better and less chances of a leak.

If there are a lot of boards that are knackered, you might as well to the lot. The only tricky bits will be around your pipes I would think. Start at the bottom and work your way up. You will want to check the weatherboard stops and the frame behind for evidence of rot as well and replace as neccessary.

All you will need is a decent saw capable of a good square cut, a hammer, 2" galvanised nails, a nail punch, a water lever (spirit level at a pinch), some putty to cover your nails and a tube of sealant like Silkaflex.

Thanks to Dan and especially Ben for having taken the time out to reply to my questions. In regards to water getting in the house - I don't have that problem yet or hope to. I just thought that it was common to have metal facia's between the gutter and the woodwork:confused: obviously not. I do have water coming down between the guttering and the wooden facia board so I will have a closer look at that. In the coming week I will be getting prices for the materials and then make an assessment on whether to take the job on.

Cheers
David