Historical yet Functional Porch Renovation

Pittsburgh, PA

Project Location:

Two Months

Project Timeline:

Simple yet elegant barnhouse style porch that provides easy access to the front of the house, ample space for tables and chairs and stands up to the elements for years of use.

Project Vision:

The original front porch on this late 1800's home was in desperate need of repair. The porch trapped moist air underneath because it was constructed over a full basement, which meant the porch deck boards swelled up, buckling the porch surface and leaked into the basement. The porch railings were closed in and the stairs we made from precast concrete block, installed from a recent renovation. The porch structure was weak and the porch deck sagged under normal traffic.

The project scope was to replace the entire porch deck, railings and stairs to ensure the homeowners had a beautiful, functioning porch which matched their homes farmhouse appeal. The homeowners also wanted to the porch to be sturdy, protect the below basement from the elements and survive the elements for years to come.

The work started with supporting the porch columns and roof. This had to be done because the porch floor structure had to be completely removed underneath. The porch structure was removed, the top of the basement foundation was leveled off and new anchor bolts were drilled and epoxied in all to secure the new porch structure.

The new porch structure and subfloor was installed with mudsills, rim boards, ledger boards, floor joists and subfloor all sloped to direct water away from the house. The subfloor was covered with drip edge and a waterproof membrane to completely waterproof the basement below.

Ontop of the subfloor, pressure treated sleepers were installed to provide the porch decking a level surface. The porch decking was a 1.5" x 3.5" white atlantic cedar decking, custom milled for the project. White cedar is naturally water, bug and rot resistant, excellent for outdoor applications.

The handrailings were installed, new stairs and newel posts and the decking was stained. Fasica and trim boards were installed along the perimeter to decorate the porch and the unstained wood was painted.

Project Description:

The following services were provided by IDR