Autumn DIY Jobs: Exterior Jobs to Keep Everything Dry and Cosy Inside the Home
As Autumn settles in and before it gets too cold and rains too much, it’s a good idea to Winter-proof your indoor rooms. Ensuring gutters and roof valleys (gullies) are cleared of leaves and gutter guards are intact, that rooves are waterproof and windows don’t have draughts or installing some new and thicker ceiling insulation are all ways we can ensure we’re warmer in cold months, cooler in hot months, and are keeping our energy bills down.
This Issue we look at some of the checklists and tips for DIY jobs you can get done now.
Repointing Your Roof
Whether you have tiles or tin your roofing will wear out over the decades it is exposed to sun, rain, wind and damaging hail. Many a problem has been caused by not regularly maintaining or repairing cracked or slipped tiles or deteriorated tin sheets while the sun still shone. If you have cracked or slipped tiles, damaged or old flashing, roof valleys that are full of debris, these will funnel water into your roof, onto gyprock that will then break and pour a nice mess into the room beneath it. even though the cavity between tiles or tin and ceiling is ‘sealed’ dust and leaves can accumulate there too, blown through the smallest of slivers, and these too will come down if your roof is breached and causes the gyprock to break.
If you have terracotta tiles re-pointing involves ensuring the original cement mortar or ‘bedding’, which is what holds roof capping tiles in place, is maintained as it will break down. This will crack over time and Roof Pointing, or repointing is applying a second layer which goes over the top of the bedding, sealing these cracks, to help create a stronger hold for the tiles and re-seals the roof against dust and water. Cement mortar used to be used for roof pointing but has been replaced by flexible pointing compounds. These are fairly easy to apply and even come in a range of colours to match to your original mortar. A brickies trowel and a few hours should get the job done.
First you will need to prepare these areas for repointing; brush away any loose mortar and reapply where it has gone completely. Don’t worry of this re-cracks – the repointing compound will seal it.
Before you climb on the roof you will need to ensure you have the right safety gear;
Check Exterior Walls
Pick a beautiful bright Autumn day to have a look at brickwork or weatherboards to make sure there are no cracks or flaking that need to be repaired. Water can find its way into the smallest defect and swell wood or make cement looser and cause problems beneath your floorboards – a pointing compound or putty and paint now will save you too much work when the rains come.
It is also a good idea to check there is no soil or other debris build up against any house walls which could cause a breach of your damp proof course. You will need to look under your house as well as all around it to check walls are free of any potential problems.
Check Air Vents and Air Bricks
Check that air bricks are clear of dirt and debris to ensure you get a proper flow of air under your suspended floor which helps prevent condensation and wet or dry rot.
Check Ventilation
One way to prevent under-house dampness is to install an Edmonds Ecofan ventilator. Jonson Brothers Mitre 10 ran a DIY page on this a few years ago - see page listed below.
Fixed roof vents atop rooves should also be checked when you are cleaning out debris from gutters and roof valleys. Also ensure any Chinaman's Hat has not rusted and is still secured firmly to the roof vent - if the screws have rusted a strong wind could displace the hat protector and you will have rain pouring into your roof cavity.
For inside the house condensation make sure any installed extractor fans are clear and working.
Check Your Guttering and Downpipes
As with the rest of your roof, the guttering and downpipes will deteriorate over time. A small amount of rust will quickly become a hole beneath which any path or part of the garden this water build-up falls on becomes slippery in the case of a path and a channel for water close to your homes walls in the other. Downpipes similarly need to be checked – if the joining is leaking it needs to be resealed with a Silicone. The stormwater drain the downpipe channels rain into should also be checked now and cleared of debris to prevent flooding. If you are installing or have installed a Rain Water Tank, these pipes should be checked too to ensure all that water you’re saving for a non-rainy day is available.
Sections of guttering that have rusted through will need to be replaced. If it is only a minor problem, applying a seal or metal protectant and repainting will ensure the rian stays in the guttering, not pouring out of it.
Protect Timber decking and Exterior Window Frames
Any exterior decking is going to last a lot longer and look a great deal better if you look after it. If you avoided restaining or reoiling your deck last Summer, doing so now, and when it's a bit cooler, will ensure rain doesn't damage those wonderful outdoor verandahs and large deck areas. Clean these first with a preparatory that removes dirt and fungus build up and then apply the stain or oil that will best suit your wood.
Autumn is also a great season to check the sealing around glass windows and wooden frames - reputty if required. If you have wooden window frames these too may need a spruce up prior to damper months by sanding back, filling any cavities with a good putty, re-priming and repainting. If you have aluminium window frames these too should be checked - reseal any joint leaks and check for corrosion. If you have spots of rust, use wire wool to gently scrub away the rust being careful not to scrape areas adjacent then apply a water repellant.
Clean Paths and Driveways
Autumn is also a great time to ensure all the slime that may cause your family or visitors to slip on paths around your home or cause the car to skid is removed from cement and paved areas. A Pressure Washer allows you to avoid using chemical products that may run off into your garden, and then flow into the estuary or elsewhere. These are also good for cleaning exterior brickwork or weatherboards as well - we bought one several years ago from Johnson Brothers and it's still going and has been put to a variety of uses over the years.
Everything you will need for these maintenance or repair works can be found at the Mona Vale and Avalon Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 stores – just pop in and speak to their friendly trained staff about what specific products will best suit your home.
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Offers Some Great Tools And Products For This Project
LUFKIN BIG BOSS TAPE MEASURE: $24.00
8m x 30mm. Extra-wide blade for increased durability.
Stanley 8m/26' Tylon Tape Measure: $11.99
STABILA SPECIAL EDITION LEVEL - 4 PACK: $119.00
Non fade. Non leak. Electrostatic stable vials for lasting accuracy. Includes 70mm, 400mm, 600mm & 1200mm Levels.
Cabot's Deck & Exterior Stain New Jarrah 4L: $89.90
Oil Based Deck and Exterior Stain is a durable stain which rejuvenates and transforms the colour of all exterior timber.
Cabots Decking Stain Merbau 4L: $89.90
Makita 1200W Circular Saw: $109.00
Makita 210mm 1800W Circular Saw: $389.00 - Blower function. Bevel adjustment.
Makita 18V 3Pce Combo Kit: $439.00 - Includes Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, 165mm Circular Saw, 3.0Ah battery, charger & tool bag.
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Trade Centre at Mona Vale - everything you need under one roof.
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 New Store
73 Bassett Street
Mona Vale - Online Store: Jbhmv.Com.Au
Products advice is available from the trained friendly staff at Narrabeen, Mona Vale and Avalon Johnson Brothers Mitre 10.
Click on logo to visit Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 website
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 - Avalon (02) 9918 3315
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 - Mona Vale (02) 9999 3340
JBH Timber & Building Supplies (02) 9999 0333
JBH Fencing & Landscape Supplies (02) 9970 6333
www.johnsonbros.com.au Online store: jbhmv.com.au
Previous DIY Pages:
Decking Timbers Caring For Your Deck Decking Finishes Privacy Screens I Privacy Screens II Privacy Screening Hardwoods Autumn Paths and Lawns Insulation Batts Plasterboard Ventilation - Edmond's Ecofan Blackboards for Children and Home Spring Lawn Care Shade Sails & Watering Basic DIY Tools DIY Tools - Power Drills Recycle Your Trampoline into An Air Bed How to Build Your Own Backyard Cricket Pitch Christmas Lights Displays around House and Garden Summer Mildew - Refresh, Renew How to Fix Things That Drip and Bump in the Night Time To Plant Winter Vegetables in a Raised Garden Beds Layout Organsing Your Tool Shed Make Your Own Weathervane Installing A Garden Watering System Decking Oils How To Make Garden Compost How To Winter proof Your Lawn How to create Shabby Chic effect on Timber Furniture How to Build Your Own Raised Garden Bed Growing Your Own Winter Vegies Winter Heating Guide Prepare Your Yard For Winter Eradicating Noxious Weeds From Your Yard How to Fix Furniture Finishes Part I How to Repair Scratches, Dings, and Dents of Furniture Surfaces - Part II Winter Draughts Fix Classic Wooden Tool Carrier Spring Garden Checklist Part I Install Your Own Skylight Retaining Walls for Saving Soil and New Spring Garden Beds Summer Salad Garden Native Plant Garden for A Fairy Arbour Renewing Short Flight of Exterior Stairs Deck Maintenance DIY Summer Tasks You Can Do In Time to Get to the Beach Garden Ponds for Attracting Birdlife, Dragonflies and for the Soothing Sounds of Water Salt Air: Maintenance and Protection Creating an Outdoor Dining Arbour, Gazebo or Patio - Part I Creating an Outdor Dining Arbour, Gazebo or Patio Part II Autumn Garden Tasks Autumn DIY Jobs: Waterproof Your Home Checklist Dealing With Dampness Inside the Home Fixing Your Fence Repairing and Replacing Damaged Decking boards DIY Toy Box and Snow Globes: School Holidays Fun - Winter 2015 DIY Wooden Toy Cars and Perfect Painted Flowerpots: School Holiday Fun - Winter 2015 Shoring Up an Under House Earth Bank – Installing a Basic Retaining Wall DIY One Shelf Sideboard Early Spring 2015 Garden Care Salad Garden For Children Keeping Your Garden and Home Cool in Hot Weather Classic Beach Garden and Camping Chairs 3 Portable Versions Anyone Can Make DIY Outdoor Furniture Mark I: Park Benches for Your Garden Make Your Own Scooter or Skateboard: Summer 2016 Fun How to Install a Solid Core Door and Door Furniture Summer Garden Jobs: Pruning A Hedge How to Make A Swing Chair - With A Frame for Garden Setting Garden Jobs for March to Make A Beautiful and Healthy Spring Keeping Outdoor Nooks Warm During Cooler Months Children’s Step Stool with Storage Stop Winter Rain Lawn Loss and Soil Erosion on Slopes DIY Garden Shed: Part 1 of 4 - Base DIY Garden Shed: Part 2 - Framing Walls DIY Garden Shed: Part 2b - Gable Roof Framing Garden Shed Part 3: Roof Installation DIY Garden Shed: Weather- boards - Door And Window Installation And Paint Finish DIY Coffee Table With Chessboard Inlay Spring Gardening: Feeding Your Soil And Plants - What Works For Each Plant DIY Sandstone Flagging Parking Area - Platform DIY Pre-Summer Checklist For A Safe Home Summer Spruce Up: Interior Paint Tips and Three easy steps to rejuvenate your timber deck The Perfect BBQ Garden Setting DIY Water Wise Garden DIY Side Gates DIY Storm Preparation And Home Protection One To Two Day DIY Weekend Spruce Ups Vegepods For Autumn Planting + Easy To Make Lego Table Or Student Desk That Can Be Dismantled + Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Online Store Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Great New Mona Vale Store: Still In Bassett Street - number 73 Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 New Mona Vale Store: The Greenlife Garden Centre Go Outside And Play: Creating Garden Spaces To Connect Children With Nature DIY Plasterboard Repair DIY Dolls House Or Garage Or Boatshed DIY Child's Waggon - or use as a large planter mover DIY Bathroom Refresh: Zing For Spring Tips for Growing a Native Garden FireCrunch, Australian Developed Fire-proof, Sustainable, Durable and Reliable Building Board Now Available at Johnson Bros. at Mona Vale and Narrabeen School Holidays DIY Ideas for Children: Little Vegetables Garden, Swing, Windchimes Bushfire Season Preparation 2017: Home and Outdoor Areas Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Trade Centre at Mona Vale + Issue No 1 of Mitre 10’s inSITE Magazine for Tradies and Handymen Preparing Al Fresco Areas for Christmas Get-Togethers and Summer Visitors Summer De-bug; Mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and ants - how to keep the outdoors insects where they belong DIY Summer Projects: Install A Fountain Or Water Feature Late Summer and Early Autumn Projects: A Shed For All Storage Solutions + Garden Tasks + Keeping Our Waterways Clean Autumn Plantings for Winter Harvests 2018 Paintback Collection Event: Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale Saturday, April 7 Reducing Ticks in Your Garden: Garden care, Plants that Repel, What to Wear Outdoors Attracting Insectivore Birds to Your Garden: DIY Natural Tick Control Mother's Day 2018: DIY Rose Garden Winter Mould & Mildew Inside Your home: How to Keep Air and Surfaces Healthier DIY Traditional Rocking Horse Johnson Brothers Trade Day 2018 DIY Mushrooms and Vege Kits: School Holidays Fun Winter 2018 for Curious Kids Woodworking Projects for Beginners: School Holidays Fun Winter 2018 - Simple Storage Box + Wood Tool Box Spring Garden Prep: Soil Care Spring into Spring + JBH August 2018 Trifecta DIY Backyard Doggie Paradise Garden Care for Heavy Rain Days + Non-Toxic Snail and Slug Debug Ideas Garden Design and Plant Management to Minimise Tick Attacks and Infestations - insights from an essay by Bill Conroy BSc. (Agr) (Syd) + a Tribute to Wilfred Lawrence Conroy CBE by Keith Jackson, PNG and others Make Your Own BBQ Kitchen Garden: Gifts That Grow Past That Giving Day Christmas Lights 2018: Light Up the Night How to Keep Your House Cool During a Heatwave Without Using an Air-Conditioner Mid-Summer Garden Care 2018 Winners Of National Hardware Store Of The Year - Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale! + End Of Summer Garden To Do List DIY Fruits of Your Garden: Growing Figs Fruits Of Your Garden: Growing Passionfruit - Autumn Is Also The Time To Plant Strawberries For Spring How To Water Your Plants When Away On Holidays + Some April 2019 School Holidays Fun For Outdoors; A Skateboard Swing Or Indoors; Grow Or Make Pot Plant People Dealing With Autumn Dampness Inside The Home + Mums Day Gifts For 2019 Winter Heating Guide + Get Ready For Winter Specials Keeping Your Garden Dewful During Times Of Water Restrictions and Drought Installing Leaf Stopper Gutter Guard + Trade Day 2019 JBH Mitre 10 Trade Day Guests 2019 An Artfull Garden - for Winter School Holidays 2019 DIY Deck Refurbishment: Turning Wood Into Open Tiled Spaces - Groundworks Father's Day Wish List 2019 + How to Re-stain your Deck timbers and posts for Summer Installing Posts For Decks and Verandahs With Heavier Loads + Installing Membranes For Tiled Decks National Garden Week's 2019 Focus Is On Children(Oct 13-19): Spring School Holiday 2019 Garden Ideas (to get started on) Replacing Balustrades Handrails DIY Tiling Your Verandah: and Choosing Your Simple Or Complex Tile Pattern Reduce Bushfire Risk To Older Homes + Preparing Your Yard For Bushfires Time to Put Up those Christmas Lights and Deck your Gum Trees with rows of Jolly! NSW RFS Bushfire Survival Plan 2020 + Reduce Bushfire Risk To Homes + Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Great Water Saving Ideas during Level 2 water restrictions + some 'Don't Sweat Summer' Specials The Inaugural Sydney Edible Garden Trail - Learn how to help your garden survive the heat, drought, and water restrictions DIY Flyscreens DIY Privacy Screen In 2 Hours Family Hardware Store Wins Best In Australia
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John and Bob Johnson - The Johnson Brothers Profile John William Alfred Johnson - The Eulogies for those who could not attend Mass
Australia's Prime Minister Visits Mackellar - Informal Afternoon Tea with Hon. Malcolm Turnbull October 2016
JBH Win Awards August 2018 Trifecta - 2018 Free Trade Day supporters, Mitre 10 Heritage Advert features JBH Mona Vale Store, Hardware Australia’s 2018 NSW Hardware Store of the Year over 2500sqm.
Front Page Issue 294: 2018 Winners Of National Hardware Store Of The Year - Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale !!!
National Garden Week's 2019 Focus Is On Children(Oct 13-19): School Holiday Garden Ideas (to get started on) & Congratulations Award Winning Johnson Brothers Mitre10 At Mona Vale - 2019 NSW Store Of the Year, 2019 NSW Trade Centre Of the Year and 2019 Village Garden Centre of the Year
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 were awarded as the best Trade Store in the country: February 2020
Family Hardware Store Wins Best In Australia: Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale Crowned ‘National Trade Store Of The Year’ - Celebrating 65th Year in 2020