Patio Repairs
Mission Viejo Aluminum Patio Cover Project; Before & After 0
Just finished a recent job Aluminum Patio Cover in Mission Viejo project that I thought I would share. As is fairly common with most of our jobs, the old patio was a wooden patio I would estimate to be around 10 years old and also is fairly common with most wood patios was a monstrosity of wood rot, termite damage and what was arguably the worst case of wood fungus we had seen in recent years. I talked a little bit about the downside of wood patio covers in a previous blog that goes into some of the details about the pros and cons of wood versus aluminum and the three items mentioned above all stand as exhibit A as to the downside of a wooden patio cover.
Below you can seem some of the pictures of the old wooden cover. You can see the splitting of the wood and how over time the wood just starts to deteriorate to the point where it can even become a hazard. When wood rot sets in along with termite damage there is simply no way to warrant any type of repair given the costs of repair for wooden patio covers can be comparable to the costs of installing a new aluminum patio cover altogether.
Danger Lurks with Termites and Wood Rot!
On this wooden patio cover, the amount of wood rot and structural damage was to the point where the demolition and removal was quite easy. The rafters and lattice had enough wood rot where they could almost be removed by hand simply applying a bit of pressure. It’s great for the crew that tears down and removes the old, beat up wood patio but once again-when the damage gets that pronounced and evidenced it can also be a health hazard and at risk to collapse or fall.
Below you can see the old cover has been taken down and waiting to be removed. Depending on the size of the patio cover, most demo jobs and removal can be completed in a day. Once again it may vary a bit depending on the size but the majority of the time the demolition of an old cover can be accomplished in one day.
Old Cover Removed; New Aluminim Patio Cover Awaits!
Once the cover has been removed, we deliver all of the material needed to complete the installation of a new Aluminum Patio Cover and much like the demolition, can be installed and constructed in one day! This is also one of the great benefits of Aluminum Patio Covers is that because they are prepainted in the factory(with a lifetime guarantee on the paint no less!), it saves a great deal of time and labor that would normally be spent applying primer and paint.
Below is the completed patio cover that was took only one day to install including the running of wires for additional options like ceiling fans and/or speaker wire. This aluminum patio cover in Mission Viejo was a quick, easy installation and fairly routine. We were able to remove the old, dangerous wood cover and install this new aluminum cover in only 2 days!
If you are looking for a free estimate on an aluminum patio cover in Mission Viejo or any other city in Orange County give us a call! You never know-we may feature your backyard for a future blog post on the Patio Mans Orange County Patio Cover Blog.
Patio Covers in Laguna Hills; A Case Study in Danger 0
As Orange County’s leading Patio cover expert I have seen a lot of things in my day, and sometimes you come across some things that still tend to shock you or shake your head a bit. I talked about it in my last blog about the patio cover in Fullerton which took some real creative finesse to get the job done right and this most recent job was in similar vein. This job I did the other day stands as a good testament for “What not to do” when it comes to building a patio cover in Orange County.
I recently completed a new wood patio cover in Laguna Hills. When I arrived at the home there was an existing wood patio cover all along the rear wall of the house with what looked like a second story deck built on top of a small portion of that same wood patio cover. As with most wood patio covers in Laguna Hills and the Laguna Niguel area, there was severe dry rot to the point where not only was this project unrepairable, but also a legitimate health hazard and danger to anyone within 15 feet of it.
After speaking with the homeowner, whom I will refer to as Mr. L, this existing patio cover was apparently was built by the previous homeowner. The upstairs door that led to the improvised patio cover/deck conversion was a full foot down from the door, with a hard plastic step stool type device that was used as the step to get down to it. Basically it had homemade/poor design written all over it and given the beautiful Laguna Hills locale, seeing a hard plastic step stool being used as a step had red flag warnings written all over it. And given the amount of wood rot and wood damage that had set in, it was dangerous across the board. As a side note, most people when seeing the havoc and damage to the integrity of the beams and posts due to wood rot, will generally have me replace them with a solid or open Alumawood patio cover so the home owner will never have to worry about wood rot, termites, or anything other typical wear and tear associated with wood patio covers.
After we completed the demo and removed the old, dry rotted wood, we were able to replace the old with a new deck and patio cover were installed at the correct height. The deck material we selected was Timbertech XLM Rustic Bark composite. Timbertech makes a fantastic, durable product and one I generally endorse. This was the first time, however, that I saw this particular color and I really liked it. It has a wood grain and a dark brown color with black streaks running through it which gave the entire project a classy, professional look. For the patio cover we used a double 2′ by 10′ for the beam and went with double 2′ by 8′ rafters. The finished product was beautiful and Mr. L will never again be embarrassed to have people in his back yard, and can also take solace and have some piece of mind knowing his patio cover is not only beautiful, but safe and durable as well. Just another day in the life for the premiere Orange County patio cover expert.
Welcome to the OC Patio Cover Blog! 0
Welcome to our blog! With over 25 years of Orange County Patio Cover experience trust me, I have seen it all. In our blog we will be having a lot of fun showing some before and after pictures of our latest projects. I take pride in all of my projects and in the regard the proof is in the pudding as gramma used to say. Most people would be amazed at how a new cover will be revitalize and reinvigorate your back yard.
We also plan on using our blog to go over some of the issues facing those who have an older wooden patio cover in their back yard due to wood rod, insect damage, and others factors that contribute to the aging and deterioration of wood covers. In particular we will talk about some of the issues facing those looking for simple repairs. While the homeowner may feel as if they are saving money by making a simply repair the fact is many times they are merely prolonging the inevitable and worse-what may look like a simply post or beam replacement often times can reveal and uncover extensive damage once we take a deeper, better look into the wood infrastructure. In particular, we see extensive termite damage in many older wooden covers that cant be seen with the naked eye.
We are also very excited with some of the partnerships we have made with many of the leading aluminum patio manufacturers that have given us access to some of the latest cutting edge accessories for aluminum patio covers. From inset lighting and other cool electrical options to a wide assortment of colors and styles, we offer a virtually unlimited array of options for your back yard-with a full lifetime warranty to boot!
In short, we welcome you to read and take part in our blog. Have a question about a project? Feel free to call or email us or simply comment on our various blog posts! We will be reading and responding regularly and look forward to becoming part of your home remodeling and exterior home improvement project network of experts.
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