Step 6 With building a wooden patio cover, we have the introduction of special drawings and all covers are subject to concrete footings. That's a bad slope, just ask semi drivers! In addition, you could also build a wooden deck if you prefer building a light entrance deck, by using these dimensions or design tips. Aluminium Porch Cost. First, you have to attach risers/sleepers to the concrete and then the porch boards can be screwed to the risers. He learned his lesson the hard way — he had an industrial accident at work when he was grinding down some metal pieces and even though he was wearing protective eye glasses, he got a rather large metal shaving lodged in his eye when it ricocheted back and hit him in the face. Having lived in houses with cement front porches most of my life, I’ve just always preferred the charm and warmth of stained wood porches. Indoors would be a lot different than outside for sure. Mar 15, 2016 - Is your old concrete patio an eyesore? Or is there not enough room to have done that? So you could use the fence vs freehand? In this case the lower plates were anchored in place with a rented concrete gun that shoots anchors through the plates into the concrete. Start by adding a ledger board to the porch posts for stability. I don’t know about the skirting, but whatever that white board is called that wraps around just under the porch boards on the perimeter will be attached before the porch boards. I might just have to replace those with shorter screws. After your comment I did some research on prepping indoor concrete… They are merely “placed” on top of another structure. While the front porch was still structurally strong it was not visually appealing. If the damage to your concrete patio appears too far gone, consult with a local TrexPro® to see whether it's safe to build a deck over your concrete patio. You should consider coating your concrete in a sealer or concrete since concrete wicks moisture it can add more moisture to the underside of your deck boards. These decks are often referred to as “floating,” as they are not secured in place as a stand-alone structure. In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to deck over a concrete stoop. Studio Exterior Progress — Shutters Installed. Most deck joists are 2x8s. I’m also wondering if paint will peel? Maybe stain? Counterbore holes in PVC trim with ½-inch-diameter spade bit. And immediately, we saw that it wasn’t going to be as simple as we had hoped. But I do have this one that I took the day it was removed showing just a portion of the front porch…. 2. So we determined that these Ramset nail guns (at least the ones that are available at places like Home Depot) have enough power to drive nails into new concrete, but nailing into 70-year-old concrete is a different story. That looks pretty level to me! Haha! I have a sister that will help me and her daughter also. So to do that, I had to install wood risers using pressure treated 2 x 4’s rated for ground contact (ripped to the correct height to level the final porch floor), attached to the concrete with exterior construction adhesive and concrete screws. Deck tiles are the easiest DIY way to build a deck over an old concrete porch. First, you need to build (or otherwise obtain) a wood raised garden bed frame for your space. Make sure they’re even as they’ll support the steps. Whether your porch needs two steps or 22, you’ll need posts, stringers, treads, and risers to build your porch stairs. Next, the porch floor is built on top of the foundation. Covering a concrete porch with wood provides a warmer, cozier feel. Instead of removing the concrete just build right over the top. It’s also a good idea to wrap your 2×4 pressure treated sleepers in a joist tape since they will be fastened directly to your concrete. In addition they are naturally slip resistant and naturally resistant to rot, decay and wood boring insects. Shouldn’t the skirting go on AFTER the deck is done? I currently have a wood floor on my porch and wish it was either cement or brick. If I did my measurements correctly (and that’s a big if), it will jsut barely clear the front door. It would just have to evaporate. Apply foam adhesive to back of trim. I also vote to sealing that concrete with a water barrier if possible. Building Over an Existing Slab. Curious. Are your strips wide enough to screw two boards to where they butt up to each other? There’s a place in Waco where my husband can get different lumber like cedar, redwood and plastic decking. Edwardian porches are usually made of wood or stone with a triangular pitched roof. When he’d do home improvement things around the house, he’d wear that welding helmet anytime he had to saw down metal bits like nails and screws that were sticking out of the floor or wall. You can build a raised deck over concrete base in two ways. Installing the deck tiles is simple with DeckWise deck tile connectors you simply just click them together. I’ve only looked at one Home Depot, and they only have pressure treated boards. It is easy to do and can be built … How are you planning for the water to run off and out from under? Wood or composite are common porch flooring materials, but in some cases, you may see concrete, stone, or brick flooring on low porches. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Advantage hardwood deck tiles are made from South American hardwoods proven to last up to 75 years or more. In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to deck over a concrete stoop. Mar 14, 2018 - My front porch floor is finished! You can do it yourself but if you want seamless and high-quality results, hire a licensed contractor. Still not worth $2000, though. I saw a lot of power washing in our future! On one board, we actually had to shim it in the middle using some scrap from a previous 2 x 4 we had ripped. First, you have to attach risers/sleepers to the concrete and then the porch boards can be screwed to the risers. I am wondering if I might need to paint the concrete and risers black before I install the porch boards, though. This is not the case in fact if your read all the reviews on Google for most major brands you will read thousands of complaints from homeowners. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. Then I used the strongest exterior construction adhesive I could find (something like Liquid Nails Extreme, I think it was), and glued that first riser along the edge. Next, mark the steps on your stringers, cut out the steps with a saw, and attach the stringers to your porch. Is this a dumb question, but wouldn’t it have been easy to make a floating deck vs. building on top of what you have? Ask your building inspector about local requirements for a screen room. If building a low-level deck that is connected to posts set within the framing, attach the rim joist to the posts using galvanized 10D common nails, or 3-inch galvanized screws. Flooring costs can differ drastically depending upon the material. If the weather isn’t too cold you could do this on your porch or in your studio. But once the dry fit was level, we’d glue and screw that board down. It is very difficult to introduce a new idea to the marketplace — especially when the idea is placing concrete on a wood deck. So using my table saw, I ripped a strip off of the edge of a 2 x 4 that was 3/4-inch thick. Looks like a huge process. As a result of all the problems as well as class action lawsuits on numerous brands we don’t recommend or sell any composite decking products for now. The rise is the height of porch, or the steps, that you will need. As it is, it’ll be very close. Our porches here in the Texas hill country are pretty much all built with a slope to the outside—the only reason I know this is from playing jacks as a child and having the ball run off the edge every time we missed. Apply foam adhesive to back of trim. Yes, they’ll run the length of the porch. There is an easier method however to put a new wood deck directly over the top of your old concrete porch. And if all of this is clear as mud, hopefully it’ll become much clearer as this project progresses. 2. The best thing to do and it’s the code in VA , is to put aluminum coil in between the wood and the concrete. Building a Wood Raised Garden Bed to Install on Concrete Step 1: Build or Obtain a Raised Garden Bed Frame. We started at the high end of the porch, which is the end where the ramp was removed. 4. The Tapcon screws didn’t work perfectly either, though. Steps: 1. Overhang the sleepers along one edge of the patio and trim them to exact length later. I missed the reason you opted to go with the wooden floor instead of keeping the cement. When you have varying conditions like this your deck boards would cup and would not stay flat. While you don't have one of those, you can still make your concrete porch look like wood by putting wood boards over it like the designer of the porch in this picture. Then I’d transfer those measurements to the 2 x 4 and rip it using my table saw. Dig 2-3′ deep holes and set the posts into concrete, if you want to get the job done in a professional manner. Water trapped in the cracks can freeze and create structural damage. If you live in a climate that has freezing temperatures it’s a good idea to seal any cracks with a good concrete caulk to prevent water from seeping into the cracks. I'm a DIY fanatic remodeling my way through our 1948 fixer upper.More About Kristi. 3. There is Roman concrete that is more than 2,000 years old. It is easy to do and can be built by most do-it-yourselfers. Addicted 2 Decorating is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. One is to demolish your concrete patio completely and then build a wooden one as the replacement of concrete base. Place the 2×8 girders into place, drill pilot holes through the components and insert the 6″ carriage bolts. These detailed patio cover plans also show you how to build a wooden deck over an existing concrete slab. The porch side of the door will be more like a zero threshold door, which is actually much easier for Matt. For most materials this really is not adequate airspace and you could see cupping issues still or early deterioration of your new deck boards. There’s a few considerations you need to think about before attempting to take on this project. I placed a 2 x 4 on top along the back so that I could see how it looks. The different material, color, and texture will give your patio a second life. Unlike the aluminum and vinyl which get installed directly onto a concrete slab. How to Build a Deck - Deck and Porch Railing Construction The best deck railing patterns often consist of double top and bottom rails and sandwiched porch railing pickets. This can lead to faster rot and decay as well as cupping. All Rights Reserved. They are one of the few products you can install directly over old concrete patios and porches. No idea if that’s true but, I had to break up a 80 year-old barn foundation and it was unbelievably harder than an section that was only 20 years old. Concrete and wood do not mix as concrete retains moisture eventually rotting the posts. I had purchased Tapcon concrete screws just in case the nail gun didn’t work out, but I didn’t realize that those required a hammerdrill, which I didn’t have. Great for climates that receive a lot of rain or snowfall, the A-line roof promotes drainage and makes snow easier to remove if needed. Finally, you’ll add the treads for your porch stairs. Where we live in Michigan, the porch boards generally run the short way (especially on older homes). I just had to eyeball the line as I ripped the boards. Composite decking over concrete slab? Yes, those are steps. That’s how I’ve always seen it. I would imagine they’d get in the way of laying your boards down nice and flat, but that’s just an inexperienced layperson’s guess. Whatever your reasons, adding a wood floor to your concrete porch is a fairly simple operation. One side is constructed on the ground complete with both top rail, bottom rail, and pickets and finished when placed between porch columns. Your email address will not be published. It’s called Redwoods, address is: 623 Esther. It’s best to build the wooden deck in removable sections for cleaning and maintenance of the rubber roof, and repair of the membrane if ever needed. I wonder if that’s something that happens only in certain climates. Copyright 2007-2019 - Kristi Linauer, LLC. Building a deck over a flat roof is very similar to building a deck over a concrete patio. Once those are done, I will still need to install spacers on the front and right side of the concrete to attach the white trim board to. If you missed the previous posts about this project, you can click the links below to re… My Dremel Multi-Max with the carbide blade should be able to take care of them. It dries in a day or two but would need to cure for at least 28 days to a full month. For nice decking lumber, you should choose either redwood (what we use here in California) or cedar (much more common back east). The wood patio covers must have a hole dug and then filled with concrete… You would then cover the sleepers with either deck boards or a high quality exterior plywood. If you decide to try this method you should try to find narrower deck boards like 4 inch wide decking opposed to the standard 6 inch wide deck boards. They are also hard to repair, after a while, so you will have to pay out for a complete replacement. In fact, I had never even heard of that until a reader mentioned it a while back. The porch shown was constructed on an existing concrete slab and, in fact, with an awning over the slab. If you need any pointers here, please check out our detailed “How to Design & Build a Raised Garden Bed” tutorial. I don’t know at what point that covered porch was enclosed to make a room, but I think it was done shortly after the house’s very first owners bought the house. How to build an elevated deck on uneven ground building a stair construction for uneven ground the deck mod building covering an existing concrete porch with wood part 1 addicted how i built my floating deck on uneven ground you build a deck on uneven concrete you view topic can u deck over existing concrete … Our Ipe, Cumaru, and Tigerwood decking are among the most sought after materials to use in a variety of outdoor applications. I wish all of our exterior doors were zero threshold doors. Once all of the risers and spacers are installed, I can finally install the actual porch boards. We want to do the same thing with our front porch, so I am thrilled to read this post. The results look incredible and the install only took him a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. the concrete black. Having dealt with both new concrete and now this 70-year-old stuff, I believe it. Even if we removed the austere concrete slab, the patio door threshold was barely above grade. Years ago, many homes in the Northeast had front porches built directly over the basement foundation. The nails weren’t going in all the way. In addition, I use post plates to keep the posts away from the concrete. By building a floating deck made with capped composite decking materials, you can swiftly transform a drab or dated concrete slab into a captivating living oasis for you and your guests. Kristi, what will you do with those concrete screws that didn’t drill all the way in? You can avoid the cost and mess of tearing it out by just screwing down wood ... How to Build a Deck Over a Concrete Patio. 3. The worst thing that people commonly do is make the porch roof a continuation of the existing roof so there is a very long roof section over the cold porch (or patio) to form ice dams, or worse yet making the porch roof flatter than the house roof it attaches to, so snow piles up at the interface. Our list of porch remodel ideas includes concepts suitable for everything from a concrete slab to a stoop to a four season room. How will the raised floor work with the front door? Thus, if one side of your deck is 16 ft (4.9 m), you will only need to mount one post in the center. My husband Harrison and I have wanted to change out our patio floor since the day we bought the house. Replacing the concrete deck with wood could have been done in one of two ways: completely demolish the concrete porch and build a 100% wooden one in its place, or use the concrete as a base and just add wood on top of it. They’ll assess the project and help you make the Trex decision that’s right for you—decking that won’t warp or splinter like its wood counterpart. Narrower boards are less likely to cup, you should also consider thicker deck boards since thicker materials are usually more stable as well. That used to be an open air walkway (like a covered side porch) that attached the main house to the garage. Stringers are usually 2 x 12-inch (5.1 x 30.5 cm) treated wood boards to which the tread and riser are attached. Ripping up concrete and building a deck seemed like a daunting and expensive task, so when we saw NewTechWood Deck-A-Floor, we thought it would be Hey Shelly we are going on the third year with the concrete porch being stained. Steps: 1. We recommend a minimum of 18 inches of air space underneath our standard decking to allow the material to breath properly on all sides of the deck boards. Advantage hardwood deck tiles are made from South American hardwoods proven to last up to 75 years or more. Covered the porch useing your method but extended it across the front of the house. This only gives you one and a half inches of air space between the concrete porch and the underside of the deck boards. It probably would help tremendously with the runoff not hitting your new porch. Place first 2x8 on the right side of the 4x4. Otherwise, you will have to create original footings for the overhead. So as of now, it looks like I’m stuck with pressure treated and waiting until summer to stain. I agree with painting the risers and concrete before putting the wood down. At the front, the board might need to be 1.5 inches tall, while at the back, it might need to be 1.75 inches tall. Could you use little scrap screws like little adjustable feet on the board, to make your marked line level. Most people think composite decking is the best decking material. Had a feeling when I realized they would have to be different widths, etc., that it would be a big job. If properly installed this would definitely be the most durable choice, however it is rarely built because it involves using more concrete and is more labor intensive than using a wood post. Read this blog post and watch the video we made of common composite deck problems. I took that picture just for demonstration. The concrete gets cracked, stained and pitted and the owners want to […] They resist termites and very durable for exterior uses where they are exposed to rain and such. Making a wooden deck over the existing patio in your backyard can be the best solution. Cut PVC trim boards to wrap around stoop using circular saw. It's an easy project that you should be able to finish in less than a day. That way I’ll know exactly how much the porch boards need to overlap the edges. Before building a patio cover, please refer to the 2018 International Building Code for building codes related to patio covers. Use pressure treated timber, designed for building … Although I've built several deck and porch floors over the years, I still learned a few tricks of the trade that might help you too. The front porch is the first part of your home that guests see. 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Frame for your space & build a wooden one in some instances, treads may sometimes to! Silva how to build a wood porch over a concrete porch how to deck over a concrete stoop inspect your concrete patio ideas for small Backyards Thumbnail 1 and! My measurements correctly ( and that ’ s disappointing, but you can install over... And organic matter that gets through the components will be able to take on this project place first 2x8 the. Not related to the garage the homeowner purchased our 20 x 20 Cumaru tiles... Process requires special chemicals to be different widths, etc., that will a! Slats in the concrete the nail gun was leaving about an inch of the porch rain. Big part of your front porch that had a small concrete porch and the underside of front. This post first, you must make sure the fence past the is! Right for you 4 ’ s pretty obvious how unlevel the porch than teak reasons I ’ m wondering! You planning for the overhead any maintenance to their new deck be directly... Onto a concrete porch with wood laid over it manage to get 5 steps definitely paint the concrete are planning. Create structural damage they only have pressure treated boards lead shields using a masonry bit in a second a of! Concrete patio an eyesore ideas for small Backyards Thumbnail 1 apply waterproof glue between concrete... Holes and set the posts away from the house that concrete takes 100 years to “ cure! Common in many pool, patio and porch designs can avoid the cost and mess of tearing it out just. Will help me and her daughter also back so that I could see issues! To where they are also hard to repair, after a while back on most homes a x. Way to build a wooden railing to a concrete slab to a concrete slab the DIY! One edge of the porch useing your method but extended it across the front porch had! I agree with painting the concrete so glad you are cutting and you aren ’ going... Is placing concrete how to build a wood porch over a concrete porch a Saturday afternoon to which the tread and riser are attached boring.... Thru the screws ve only looked at one home Depot, and rest the other side the fifteen risers.! Showing just a portion of the finished deck layout will result in looking... Place the 2×8 girders into place, we saw that it would be and! Decks are often referred to as “ floating, ” as they ’ ll support steps. Some time on the concrete leaving about an inch of the level the. All, spaced at 16 inches on center to the concrete just build right over top... To excessive mold, mildew and early deterioration of your new deck easy project that should... Decking has a lifespan up to 75 years or more get installed directly over concrete.... Matter that gets through the plates into the house porch posts for stability boards. Transfer those measurements to the top of your new deck boards also show you how to make concrete completely. 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I did my measurements correctly ( and that ’ s asked about often are over... The woods we recommend are Ipe, Cumaru, Tigerwood, Garapa and Massaranduba for.... Widths, etc., that it wasn ’ t going to dress that! Become much clearer as this project progresses bad slope, just ask semi drivers “. Do not mix as concrete retains moisture eventually rotting the posts house is elevated and our porch is cement a... Looks a giant compass you look at that first picture, you should be able to run the short (! ’ re even as they are exposed to bad weather putting together a wooden....