How to repair a rotted verandah post?

[FrankT]

We have some rot in a 90mm hardwood verandah post where it joins the main beam. The main beam has also got a small amount of rot where it joins the post

. This seems to have been caused by water getting in over 30+ years and rotting the timbers. It is only a small area but as it is a load bearing joint, it needs repairing or replacing. Instead of replacing the post and beam can it be repaired with resins?

[Dave-1]

Good afternoon @FrankT 

Ugh and bugger comes to mind... 

Do you know how far the rot goes? (push on the timber with a flat blade screwdriver, if its spongy then its rotted)

Previously I would have suggested replace or repair part of the post but in a converstaion in here the other day (Cant rem the project :/) this product was mentioned, earls 250ml wood hardener It looks seriously impresive but have not used it myself yet tho I intend to

Whichever way I would recomend to support the crossbeams of the roof with temporary posts, and then remove the bolts so you can see how far the rot goes. Depending on how far through the post it has gone you might be ok with chiseling out the rotted part. If it goes more then say 2/5ths through then id start heading towards replacement of the post. The board that backs onto the post hopefully its not too bad tho if rotted  then it may also need to be replaced as it is structual. Supporting the roof first means you are half way to being able to replace it if needed anyway. 

Would love to see the process whichever way you go

Dave

[EricL]

Hello @FrankT 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your veranda post.

Resin repair and wood hardener is ideal for areas such as door frames, window frames and other non-load bearing timber that's exposed to the weather. It's difficult to tell how far the rot has travelled and how much of the post and bearer have been compromised. 

This appears to be serious internal rot on your post and if it is load bearing, I can only suggest replacing it with a new post. The general steps to repair it would be to install temporary steel supports under your veranda. Once temporary support has been established the timber post will then need to be removed and the post foundation replaced as well. This would be the best time to inspect the bearer and see if any major damage has occurred.    

Looking at the third picture you posted, it seems that water has been bridging down this particular path and travelling along the joist right in between where your bearers meet. Not an ideal situation and one that you'll need to address when you begin your repairs. It's good that you've caught this early as further degradation will pose a safety hazard to everyone around. 

I propose engaging the services of a registered builder and getting a quote for the repair. This would also be the ideal time to ask the builder if there are any temporary measures you can do to support veranda.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric