This is a splendid wooden balcony with a lot of thought put into it by the owner. Initially, the plan was to replace only the floorboards, which were damaged due to age. However, the rot was more severe than expected, so we decided to replace some of the critical structural components. Our construction plan was to do only minimal repairs and replacements, and then just put things back together. After the demolition, it continued to rain that night. It turned out that other areas where we planned to work also had significant rainwater accumulation. Even though I had gone to great lengths to make the pillars and beams accurately, I ended up having to start over from the beginning. Kaz: Let's break it! In the end, we decided to dismantle all the cross members supporting the floor. The mortise is soaking wet. Why do beams rot so much? I thought it was probably because there was no slope and the water wasn't draining. The wood is embedded in the groove at the top of the beam! A groove is dug at the top of the cross member that supports the floor. It may be that the design or installation changed along the way and the grooves needed to be filled with wood. It wasn't just because of the rain the day before. You can see that it was always wet without drying for a long time. The water that got into the trenches was trapped for a long time by further covering with filler material, which caused fatal damage. The parts other than this groove are surprisingly solid. I can't say this happened because it was made of wood. If you want your wooden deck or balcony to last a long time, it is important to have a structure that is resistant to rain and to maintain it well. Again, additional beams and columns had to be cut. I roughly cut it using a large 195mm circular saw that I've been using for about 20 years. Adjust the cutting depth according to the cutting range. I use multiple circular saws because it's a hassle to adjust them every time. This is a 165mm corded electronic circular saw. Due to the evolution of cordless circular saws, corded circular saws are rarely brought into renovation sites these days. Make a tenon for the pillar. The last line I drew is a mark to indicate that this is unnecessary. I shaved the corners of the joint with a plane. This is to make it easier to match the cuts. The pillars etc. that I cut this time are [makeup]. Exposed on the surface as a finishing material. Since it will be painted, the four corners will be chamfered. In this case, "faced" means that the corners are sharp. This is to prevent the paint from cracking or peeling later. This is a water-based protective paint. Just to be sure, I also painted the wood end that would be hidden. Oil-based penetrating paints can change the color of new materials that contain oil or old materials that have been painted with oil-based paints. In this case, repaint with a strong water-based paint. A white cat is looking at me as if it wants to be my friend. Are you sure that you want to participate? Yes No No The carpentry work continued through the night. And then the night dawned. Before assembling the cut lumber, adjust the mortise and tenon joints with a chisel. Remove as much wet and rotten parts as possible. It's narrow so I have no choice but to hold the hammer short. It seems that the power is not being transmitted to the ``flea''. Kaz uses Carpenter Square in a variety of ways. This pillar has no particular damage. If this continues, you will not be able to physically insert it into the tenon. Slide it in from the front. Saws do not work well in tight spaces. First, make a thin cut with a handsaw to create a guideline, then cut with a multitool. Then, use a chisel to adjust and cut the fine details. The wood is finally ready to be assembled , and now the carpenter will repair the rotten wooden balcony! Owner: Please have some tea! Owner: I'm sorry I only serve tea. Owner: Please take it and drink it! Now let's get to work! As is often the case with renovation jobs, the client offers us tea as we begin work. It is not very smooth as it is assembled onto fixed pillars from the middle of the building. Since the area is exposed to rain, it was built tightly to prevent rain from accumulating. My posture is bad and I can't use a hammer properly. The first task was a little difficult... This failure will affect the next step. He stupidly applied a lot of silicone spray (lol) and scraped the corners and pounded the parts to make it easier to get in. [Tree killing] When inserting a 105mm square lumber between pillars, if it is tilted even slightly, it will stick out and will not fit in at all. If you make it 1mm shorter, it will be easier to insert. Since it is a decorative material, it is not good to have any gaps. I managed to insert the second one as well... (It didn't go as planned) If I didn't have this beam material, I could easily install it, but... The length of Kazu's arms is like this... I feel like it's not enough. . . lol I thought the third one went well. . . The length was 1mm, so I compromised and cut it to 2mm. But I don't like it when it rains, and I don't really want to create a gap. And the shorter the distance, the harder it is to fit. Because the existing pillar is distorted, it is no longer possible to enter halfway. I force install it. Only two crossbars and one pillar remain. These will be installed at the same time. I decided to remove the bolts once and let all the handrails float. I tried to float this Kasagi, but the outer wall almost cracked. When cutting or attaching wood to something made by someone else, it often doesn't go smoothly. Therefore, you must first ensure that the pillars fit correctly. I decided to lift the handrail as far as possible without damaging the exterior wall and cut the tenons on the pillars. This is because the tenon should be as long as possible. I was able to confirm that I was able to install it somehow. I was working alone on this day, so I made some ingenuity. Assemble the three pieces of wood using tenons on the top, bottom, left and right. It is physically impossible to line them up one by one. All three must be installed at the same time. This pillar is [makeup].If you hit it with a hammer, it will leave a mark. I pulled with all my might. Kazu has short legs...because he has short legs. It seems like I don't have the strength. Next, I would like to add the legs of the pillars. I was in trouble because it wasn't going up at all. I made the tenons of the pillars as long as possible. You need to lift it the length of the tenon. I managed to attach the column foot to the mortise in the girder. Just lift the top and insert. Once it gets stuck here, it's very difficult to remove. Therefore, I had to check it once before assembling it. Renovation projects are simple. It's not as flashy as a new building. What could be done in a few minutes in a new construction can take an entire day. Next, install the material [kake] to receive the flooring. Old wooden fences were built with a slight slope at the top of the base and the top of the shade tree to prevent rain from collecting. There's no time to rest, the next step is to install the floorboards. First, reuse the existing flooring. The corners of the floorboards are slightly rotten. I reuse the wood by turning it upside down. The aluminum sash side, which is not exposed to rain, had not deteriorated at all. New Caption I can replace all the floorboards with new ones. However, since the floorboards can be replaced without building scaffolding, no more repairs than necessary will be carried out this time. I was tired so I took a break. But I can't rest my head. Some of the flooring material in good condition was cut and reused. I installed it correctly by considering the areas that would be exposed to rain and the areas that would not be exposed to rain. The same concept applies when installing flooring and roof bases. Construct the joints so that they are not concentrated in one place. It's dangerous to step on the joint, so I cut the edges down and carved them diagonally. Make the missing floorboards Cut the surface of a 105mm x 30mm cypress stud. I'm not too concerned about it because I'm going to paint it this time, but I want to choose something as beautiful as possible and use it. A tree has a [front side of the tree] and a [back side of the tree]. This time, I mainly shaved the surface of the wood. When installing a deck, you need to consider the warpage to allow rain to flow easily. What I want to use is the back side of the wood. This is the rotten pillar that was removed. The string material that holds the fence in place was also rotten in places, so I will rebuild it. We decided to use 30mm square red pine wood. Almost there. Should I stop building balconies and wood decks with solid wood? Is it better not to make a balcony or wood deck with solid wood? We generally recommend aluminum or plastic for new installations. The reason for this is simply that we believe that the easier it is to maintain and the longer it lasts, the better. The client asked a carpenter to build the wooden balcony, imitating a wooden deck he had seen at a hot spring inn. This place was born from the memories of my travels. Watching fireworks together, playing with grandchildren, all thanks to the warmth of trees. There is no doubt that family memories were made here. The rain protection measures were a little inadequate, so the rot had progressed to the frame. However, the overall structure is very solid and well thought out. I noticed this after repairing this wooden balcony. You can tell that the carpenter who worked on this project worked hard to build the house for the client. We can't tear down this balcony full of memories and replace it with an aluminum one. Even in past renovation cases, you might think, ``If it's in this condition, wouldn't it be better to rebuild it?'' or ``Is there any point in repairing it and leaving it as is?'' We have also received some feedback. There are times when we feel the same way. But now I understand the importance of protecting my home. This is the final finishing step. Hidden areas must be painted with a protective paint. Finally, paint the part where the foot of the scaffold was resting on and it is completed. Balcony restoration work has been completed. The floor looked like it was going to fall off any moment. I didn't create anything new. It was just a matter of repairing something that was about to break down. I didn't know how far I could go to fix it. At first, I thought it was just replacing the floorboards. Somehow things got back to normal. The only thing that has changed is that the color has changed from a light brown that has faded over time to a modern dark brown that my wife likes. Now, your family's memories will never fade.
