<![CDATA[Al the Handyman Bear Valley Springs

<![CDATA[Al the Handyman Bear Valley Springs - Blog ]]>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:57:29 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[What is Dry Rot? ]]>Mon, 18 Aug 2014 03:04:51 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/what-is-dry-rot

Dry rot is wood decay caused by certain species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resulted in a darkly colored deteriorated and cracked condition.

The life-cycle of dry rot can be broken down into four main stages. Dry rot begins as a microscopic spore which, in high enough concentrations, can resemble a fine orange dust. If the spores are subjected to sufficient moisture they will begin to grow fine white strands known as hyphae. As the hyphae germinate they will eventually form a large mass known as mycelium. The final stage is a fruiting body which pumps new spores out into the surrounding air.

Dry rot is the term given to brown rot decay caused by certain fungi that deteriorate timber in buildings and other wooden construction seemingly without an apparent source of moisture. The term is a misnomer because all wood decaying fungi need a minimum amount of moisture before decay begins. The decayed wood takes on a dark or browner crumbly appearance, with cubical like cracking or checking, that becomes brittle and can eventually crush the wood into powder. Chemically, wood attacked by dry rot fungi is decayed by the same process as other brown rot fungi. An outbreak of dry rot within a building can be perceived to be an extremely serious infestation that is hard to eradicate, requiring drastic remedies to correct. Eventually the decay can cause instability and cause the structure to collapse.
Source

Treating & preventing dry rot

Treating or preventing dry rot is a three step process.

Step 1 is to locate and stop the source of the moisture.

Step 2 is to replace any damaged wood that has become structurally weakened.

Step 3 is to treat new and existing wood with a borate wood preservative to prevent growth of the dry rot fungus and kill any fungus already in the wood.

Borate wood preservative is available as a dry powder or a glycol-based liquid concentrate. The powder form is generally less expensive but there's some evidence that glycol improves the absorption of borate into the wood fibres.

]]><![CDATA[Carport Makeover - Complete]]>Sat, 09 Aug 2014 08:17:08 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-makeover-complete

The makeover is complete. New gates, new addition to the boundary fence as well as rebuild of the carport fill in and the owners are very happy.

We added the extra feature of 45 degree top end to discourage any unwanted visitors roosting on the gates. The total cost for this project was around two thousand dollars.

The owners informed us that they had been quoted more than $2800 just to make the frames for the gates.

BEFORE

AFTER

]]><![CDATA[Carport Makeover - 5]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2014 10:46:33 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-makeover-5

Click for larger version

The gates are now installed. We had some issues with the left hand side due to the age of house. The post needed to be re-secured with a new Galvanised saddle and Dynabolted to the concrete. The next stage will involve some re-construction of the left fill in panel before it is lined with the pickets.

Note that the gate have a larger than normal gap at the bottom as the driveway shall be paved to the same height as the pavers near the fence.

]]><![CDATA[Carport Makeover - 4]]>Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:36:22 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-makeover-4

Al has started on the gates assembly. The gates are made from Galvanized steel and have been painted to match the colour scheme of the house. The 1.8m Cyprus pine Pickets are sealed with clear coat and attached with hex head metal screws.

]]><![CDATA[Carport Makeover 3]]>Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:52:43 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-makeover-3

Due to the long wait for the longer Cyrus boards and the fact that break ins are on the rise, the owners now want it installed ASAP, so we will go back to the original plan of 1.8m.

Al has already got the steel gates assembled and will start installation in the next few days. Stay posted.

]]><![CDATA[Carport Makeover - 2]]>Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:41:16 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-makeover-2

http://www.walkerbros.com.au/

Update: The makeover has a new change as the home owner has decided to pay the extra and go for the taller gate and timber option. We have already installed the 1.8m fence match up but the home owners want to go over 2m for the gate timbers and lattice replacement.

Al the handyman will now need to source the longer cypress timber on the coast as the longest that are readily available are only 1.8m. Al has a supplier in Gosford who can come to the rescue, but due to low demand for Cyprus it may be a month or so wait till they mill some boards. As they say 'All good things come to those who wait'. We shall keep you updated..

]]><![CDATA[Carport Make-over - 1]]>Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:17:09 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/carport-make-over-1Al's a Handyman has been called to give an old place a make over. The owners want a new look for the Carport that is both stylish and practical. They want to replace the current gates with a new steel one with 1.8m high timber pickets. They want either side covered in the same material (Cyprus pine) and the same height for security and the lattice removed. We shall be using Fortress Galvanised 'Aussie made' gates for this project.

'Al' will keep you posted as the works progress.

Cyprus Pine 1.8m High

]]><![CDATA[Paving Repairs]]>Tue, 22 Jul 2014 11:23:27 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/paving-repairs

Paving is an important investment but sometimes the local vegetation likes to push in and cause havoc.

Roots make their way over time through the ground and through the sand upon which the paver are laid. As the roots grow and expand they push up the paving and form lots of irregularities making your investment less appealing.

These can become especially dangerous trip hazards if not attended to in public spaces.

Here the offending vegetation are palm trees. No barrier was made between the garden bed on the right and the paving so 'Al the Handyman' was called to save the day.

All the offending roots need to be removed and cut out. A barrier needs to be made between the garden and the paving by way of a concrete mix, this will slow down the future incursions of the tree under the paving. Then fresh paving base is laid and levelled off and the paving carefully replaced as it needs to fit exactly. The final result below make all the back breaking worth the effort for 'Al the handyman'.

]]><![CDATA[Outdoor Furniture Restoration]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:57:26 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/outdoor-furniture-restoration

RAW : SANDED : STAINED

Do you have old outdoor furniture that looks a bit worse for wear? Well do not be too quick to send it out on dumping day, it may still be able to have a new lease on life.

Recently Al the Handyman got to restore some old weathered kids outdoor setting and give it a new lease on life. In fact it looked better than new and will last outdoor far longer than a new set.

With a good sanding and coat of oil based stain and a clear coat for protection, what was once throw away is better than new.

The above picture show the three initial stages. The top being the original condition, the middle with a careful sanding and finally with a stain applied.

With a coat of clear furniture varnish this set of Outdoor Furniture will stand up to the toughest treatment mother nature can throw at it.

Do you have some old furniture that needs a "makeover" call Al to come to the rescue on 0425390409

]]><![CDATA[Concrete 'Skin' Cancer]]>Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:41:50 GMThttp://www.alsahandyman.com/blog/concrete-skin-cancer

As we know cancer comes in many forms, some are deep and some superficial, likewise when it comes to concrete. Our previous article touched the subject of cancer in concrete. As a summary, it is usually caused by poor installation, but sometimes even good concrete can suffer the symptoms of cancer.

Recently we had to repair concrete that was suffering the bad signs of cancer. Due to poor drainage over a long period of time water had made its way into concrete and begun to cause the re-enforcing to rust.

Fortunately for this customer we were able to fix it before the damage was too severe. Here is how we attacked this problem.

First we chiselled away the concrete and render from around the re-enforcing

Re-enforcing exposed and ready to be treated

As you can see water has made its way through the bricks

Next as much loose rust was removed from the steel and then rust converter was applied to neutralise the oxidization.

This is left to dry then a coat of rust proof paint was applied to all the exposed steel. Once the paint is dry it can then be re-rendered and left to cure properly before painting.

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