Today I took all the siding off the lower section of the porch. Here is a glamor shot for you Wisteria fans.
This is not the support for the central pillar, because there is nothing underneath it. What's holding it up? Not the vertical member to the right, because that wiggles freely. Apparently the load is distributed by the railing to other parts of the porch. This has made it necessary for me to re-think where I can cut the rail to put in my temporary supports, so as not to bring the roof crashing down. I think there is a lot of cantilever action going on in that roof thanks to adequate construction done in the 1930s.
Below you see the quality of workmanship involved. Each newer vertical member is accompanied by a couple of older chunks of wood - I said accompanied rather than supported by, because those chunks of old wood pivot freely on the nails attaching them. They do not appear to serve any purpose. The curve of the rail at the top of the picture is not lens distortion, it is the result of the load pressing down on either side.
This is a closeup of the west (left) corner. The direct support for this corner of the roof is the spongy, fragmenting older piece of wood with the big rusty nail in it, resting on the very corner of the cinder block. The other piece is just there to nail the siding onto.
Here it is with all the siding removed, and a sign for legal purposes reading, IF YOU COME IN HERE BE CAREFUL. The roof is no more likely to collapse today than it was yesterday, but seeing just how bad the situation is makes me worry more. All it has to do is stay up a few more days until I can get some support in there.
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