Most exterior joinery has very robust joints to withstand the elements and rigors of life outdoors. This porch was no exception so we paid our initial attention to the mortise and tenons around the structure. Once they were sound, we were ready to deal with the sill itself.

The sill was made from especially large section of Accoya. A fiddly area, due to the sheer size of the timbers, was the mitre on the corner. We carefully cut this to match perfectly at the corner as it’s the most exposed and vulnerable area of the sill.

Once the repairs were in place and jointed into the original posts and any areas of original sill that were to be kept, it was ready for a few coats of good quality primer.

The first stage of repairs here was to focus on the small, simple repairs to part of the door lining, before moving onto the more structural elements of the construction.

We could then turn our attention to the rotten packing inside the web of the steel lintel. This was done the same way it would be done today on a new build, with the timber driven into the web of the steel to provide fixing points for a finish covering. We chose to change the orientation of the packing: firstly, to give more options for fixing but also to avoid the need to forcibly drive the timber into the web and risk disturbing the masonry.

We took exact measurements of the Eagles Beak shape from the least rotten original and made 11 replacements at 24x9x4 inches. Once the beaks were formed, we had each one pressure treated. It’s important to put the timber through treatment after cutting and shaping because we want the pressure treatment to penetrate as deeply into the surface of the timber as possible, ensuring the longest possible timber life. Lastly, we applied a few coats of highly breathable, long life paint which will allow the exposed joist ends to dry out when they and the surrounding bricks inevitably get rained on.

It was time to head back onto site to fit them. Temporarily supporting the floor and ceiling was the first job. We could then remove the brickwork around the joist ends. Each new jetty joist was fixed internally to the existing noggins (or dwangs). We then placed wedges cut from kiln dried timber onto the brickwork under each beak. As the dry wedge slowly absorbs moisture from the air, it slightly expands, creating the critical fulcrum which enables the beaks to transfer the load from the gable above. This is much the same principle as a traditional draw-bored mortise and tenon used in a green timber frame. Observing these processes means we can continue to maintain the timber in our heritage buildings long into the future.

With the carpentry work complete, we handed the job over to a gang of master bricklayers to repair and repoint the brickwork.