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How do I add a front porch?

Building A Front Porch: Steps for Adding a Porch to Your House Step 1: Assess Your Location. ... Step 2: Consider Your Home's Architecture. ... Step 3: Plan Your Railings, Steps, and Porch Stair Railing. ... Step 4: Plan Your Porch Construction Materials. ... Step 5: Consider Your Porch Foundation. ... Step 6: Build Your Porch Foundation. More items...

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Building a porch can also be more expensive than building a deck, as well as more complicated. Porches need to be designed to support 80 lbs per square foot, compared to 55 lbs per square foot for decks. This extra 25 lbs per square foot is required to safely support the roof and snow loads. Footings are often required on the sides of porches that use a gable porch roof. Footing sizes are larger and need to be positioned so that support posts can directly transfer roof loads through sound framing to solid foundations. Unlike a deck, a porch may require a roof. A deck is typically attached to a home or can be a free-standing structure that is open on all sides. A porch is typically enclosed on three of its four sides and, because it juts out from the front of a house, is often situated beneath a roof or overhang that is part of the house. Adding a roof to a porch can be a complicated project and hard work. Typically, a porch will have a roof over it because it’s already part of the house. However, if you’re adding or expanding a porch to your house and your home does not have enough of an existing overhang to serve as a porch roof, building that roof over your porch can be complicated. You’ll be handling heavy materials while standing on ladders at high elevations. You will need a couple of helpers to build a porch, as this project definitely demands more skill and physical conditioning than building a typical deck project. However, don’t let that deter you from making a porch your next home project. Knowing the steps involved can help you be prepared if you decide that a front porch will add value and enjoyment to your home. Let’s get started and learn more. By building a front porch, you’ll add a gracious welcome to your home -- an inviting spot that visitors first encounter and a cozy retreat to enjoy a cup of coffee. Maybe you’ll add a porch swing and rocking chairs to while away the hours as you watch the world go by. Imagining the enjoyment you’ll get from a front porch can go a long way toward planning the type of space that you’ll enjoy for years to come. However, there are a variety of practical matters to consider, such as how much it costs to build a porch and if you need permits. Below are step-by-step instructions for adding a porch to an existing house.

Step 1: Assess Your Location

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Adding a front porch to your home can give you a new outdoor living room, it can also cut off the light inside your home. Do you have a sunny breakfast nook that you love? Consider its location before choosing to build a porch that will reduce the sunlight flooding in if you want the let the sunshine in.

Step 2: Consider Your Home’s Architecture

A Victorian home calls for a very different sort of porch than a 1920s bungalow. If you live in a historic home or a historic district, you should definitely visit your city building and planning office to find out if there are regulations you need to follow. Historic homes may have limits as to the type of materials that can be used. For instance, if your home was built in the 1800s, some areas have laws that you cannot use certain materials (such as vinyl screening or composite decking) to craft a porch. Even modern neighborhoods with newer homes may have certain restrictions, so check with your neighborhood association or township before you start building. You’ll probably need a permit to build your porch, too! Getting all of your approvals up-front is one of the biggest steps toward building your porch.

Step 3: Plan Your Railings, Steps, and Porch Stair Railing

Before you start building, you want to evaluate the existing look, style, structure, and materials of your home. Make sure everything matches up. Some porches are a simple wooden raised porch with a plain railing and a roof - like you would find on a farmhouse. Other porches have turned balustrades. It all depends on what looks right on your home. Once you have an idea of the style of porch that will work for your home, it’s worth exploring your options with a knowledgeable friend or enlisting help from a local home supply store to get your porch design plans right.

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