I have a north facing verandah which, because my house is on a sloping block, has a drop from one end to the other. There is nothing to prevent people or animals from falling. It is a pleasant place to sit out in the evening, after sunset in summer and around about sunset in winter. I like to sit out there with my dog. However my dog is large and can easily jump down and there is then nothing to stop him from running across the road. So, I need to build a fence, preferably one he can see through but not get through and as low as I'm permitted by Council Regulations that apply to South Toowoomba, where I live. [I think that means around 1200cm high but need to check again]
I'd prefer to work with wood for I have no experience or equipment for working with metal, unless it is just a case of drilling holed and attaching with nuts and bolts or some such
I have some old tongue and groove bonds in lenghts of about 3 to 4 metres which may be usable if I had horizontal fencing. Alternatively, I have some slats of various smaller sizes that could make upright railings but, I think, wouldn't look so good.
I'm particularly interested to know whether I ought to fasten posts to the wall at the front of the verandah and then attach railings to those or whether I should attach posts to the verandah surface and used some sort of steel brackets to hold them to the surface. I'm not sure which would be more secure or the relative costs of each method. There are probably other ways to proceed, too.
I would want the fence to extend from the top of the steps, which are approximately 90cm above the verandah floor all the way across to at least the centre pillar of the large sliding window. Ideally the fence would go all the way but in that case I would need a way to deal with access to the steps and also access to the opening half of the sliding window (i.e. the left half looking from the front towards the house). The reason for that is that the only way to get large items of furniture or such is through that sliding window.
Oh, I almost forgot - I will also need to block off access to the roof at the top of the steps. There used to be a sort of outside balcony area there - hence the steps - but it was unsafe and easier and cheaper just to remove and re-roof the garage than try to re-construct it safely. I did think that perhaps I could add planter boxes or some such to the steps so that they disguised their original use and perhaps added some interest to that end of the verandah.
I apologise for the lengthy explanation but want to make my needs as clear as possible. I am a 75 year old pensioner on a fixed and low income so have to keep costs down. I also do all work myself when I am able for I can't afford trades prices. I do have a reasonable selection of hand tools, a power drill, and such. I also already have a variety of dyna-bolts that could be of use.
I would appreciate any advice anyone can give.
