This invention relates to building means. A preferred form of the invention relates to means for use in attaching structural members at or adjacent the exterior cladding of a house or other building.
It is often necessary to fix structural members such as deck joists or pergola beams to the exterior part of a building. This presents a problem in that the point of contact between the structural member and the building may provide an area where rainwater is able to enter the building and, over time, cause rot or other damage to internal wall framing, etc. It is accordingly an object of one form of the present invention to go at least some way towards addressing this problem, or to provide the public with a useful choice.
The term “comprising”, “comprises”, or derivatives thereof, if and when used herein, should be interpreted non-exclusively—ie to convey “consisting of or including”.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided building means, having a main plate portion, a flexible sheet extending from the plate portion wherein that sheet can be bent by hand to create a ledge, a first bolt portion extending outwards of a first face of the plate portion and a second bolt portion extending outwards of a second face of the plate portion opposite the first face; the building means being formed such that when it is in use a structural member can be fastened to the first bolt portion while at the same time the plate portion is arranged at least partially behind exterior cladding of a building and wherein the ledge, after it has been bent into shape, extends to beyond the cladding, wherein rainwater contacting the first face of the plate portion can run down the first face and be guided by the ledge to a drain away position in front of the cladding.
Preferably the building means has supportive packing on the first face of the plate portion and the first bolt portion extends outwardly from the supportive packing.
Preferably the main plate portion is at least substantially formed from a corrosion resistant metallic substance—eg stainless steel.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of securing a structural member (eg a joist) adjacent a building (eg a house), involving the steps of:
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided means installed on a building, the building means having a main plate portion, a flexible sheet extending from the plate portion wherein the flexible sheet is of a of a type that can be bent by hand to create a ledge during or prior to installation, a first bolt portion extending outwards of a first face of the plate portion and a second bolt portion extending outwards of a second face of the plate portion opposite the first face; the building means being such that a structural member is fastened to the first bolt portion and the second bolt portion is fastened to the building, the plate portion is arranged at least partially behind exterior cladding of the building, and the ledge extends to beyond the cladding and downwards so that when it rains rainwater contacting the first face of the plate portion is able to run down the first face and be guided by the ledge to a drain away position in front of the cladding.
Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
As shown in
Referring to
The connector is secured to the internal wall framing 10 behind the building paper 7 by way of the second portion 5 of the bolt 3. The first portion 4 of the bolt and the block 6 extend outwards of the plate 1 to positions in front of the cladding 8. A joist or other structural member can be butted against the block 6 and secured to the first portion 4 of the bolt—ie after drilling a hole in the joist and passing the bolt therethrough. The joist may or may not be part of a deck area. Preferably silicon sealant is placed between the cladding and the connector to assist in creating a weatherproof arrangement. Weatherproofing may also be assisted by applying adhesive building tape over the main edges of the plate 1 where these meet the building paper 7.
When the invention is in use rainwater which is able to get in behind the joist contacts the plate 1 and runs down to the ledge 2a. The ledge guides the rainwater away from the plate to a position in front of the cladding 8. From there the rain water is able to drip from the down-turned part 9 of the ledge rather than enter wall cavity and cause timber rot or other damage. To assist in directing water away from the connector the edges 11 of the outward extending part 12 of the ledge may be formed with a very slight “up turn” to assist in directing the rainwater to the down turned part 9. Referring to
Preferably the plate 1 and the packing block 6 are formed from stainless steel or some other corrosion resistant metallic substance. The block 6 may be substantially hollow, although that is not essential. Preferably the flexible sheet is formed from BITU-AL or some other suitable substance.
While some preferred forms of the invention have been described by way of example it should be appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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539125 | Mar 2005 | NZ | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/326,002, filed Jan. 5, 2006, in the name of the same inventor, and claims the benefit thereof.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11326002 | Jan 2006 | US |
Child | 13192327 | US |