Verandah Downpipe

This morning we put up the downpipe for the verandah gutter. First I assembled all the tools we would need. Most of them were handtools except for the cordless drill.

Then I drilled the top of the downpipe where it attached to the downspout and riveted the holes together.

Then at the bottom we needed a piece to join the gap between the decking and the verandah post, and push it outwards a little so that it would end up at the perfect spot for the water to flow into the 100 litre tank which we will place underneath it. This piece of metal was a left-over piece from building other parts of the house, and just happened to be the perfect size. It was trimmed a little at the ends to ensure it had a flat surface for the downpipe to press against. We were provided with downpipe brackets which we used for the outside join, and cut a short length of strapping which was left over from strapping the frame of the house. After these were screwed on, the structure was very solid and stable.

After that was finished, I climbed up onto the verandah roof and put silicone over all of the roofing screws. I also washed out the gutter as it was full of metal filings from attaching the screws. We won’t put the 100 litre water tank under the downpipe quite yet, as I want to wait until we have some rain to wash the roof and the gutter clean. No rain is forecast for the next week, so we might be waiting a little while.