Settled Porch Fix

[special-K]

I was called to do gutter work because the gutter was spilling in the middle of this long run with outlets on each end.I realized the whole porch had settled enough that the gutter was low and even the porch beam was pushing back towards the house.I thought the vinyl porch cieling was sagging and alling down because of improper nailing.It was buckled from the beam pushing back to the house!
My remedy was to dig new footers to virgin grade and jack it up to straight.I suggested it was a good time to "pretty-up" the front since the house was built with "minimum" as the theme and this young couple knew that.My idea was to create false stone columns and build properly trimed lattice between them.I also hated the way the soffit(overhang) just ran to the back of the posts with no beam.I nailed a 2x4 up and wrapped it in 1x.There`s just got to be something there to mimmick a beam.
This is after ripping out the slapped-up pressure treated pre-fab lattice,jacking up straight,and footers.Notice the lack of a beam:

I framed it up,nailed plywood,tacked up tar paper/wire lath,and applied a scratch coat of Portland.Then,installed new lattice and trimmed in beaded 1x2 I made up:


Laid up the cultured stone:


I put a new cieling up out of beaded vinyl and trimmed the beam with poly lumber I ran a 1/4" bead on.

Here`s another area.Before:

After:

[special-K]

You can see it`s off the ground and uneven at the bottom.That`s the grade of the yard and I poured my new footers up to the existing posts.I need to rebuild a retaining wall around the corner,then grade.We plan to do a stone wall about 3 feet out to create a flower bed.
They liked it and had me run the stone across the garage on the front.I`ll have to get pictures of that.I thought I had them.It`s a minor thing that gave a big boost in the look.I want to get to the rest of his porch,when he`s ready to spend.

[Lugnut64052]

Nice!!

Is that real stone or the cultured (concrete) stuff?

[Frizzle Fry]

That looks 1000x better! Good call on the faux beam too.

[msgross]

wow, tim... I think you could start one of those "curb appeal" type shows on DYI... You could pull up in the '72 GMC like Vila did in his new truck every show!

Is work picking back up yet? You do roofs?

[special-K]

This is cultured stone.I just spaced two upright 2x4s with the post centered.18" wide,I think.Cut and nailed 1/2" pressure treated plywood,tacked tar paper on,tacked wire mesh up,then trowels a coat of mortar over the mesh and leave scratch marks in to help hold the stone.You let that set overnight and the next day it`s "lick`n`stick" (not literally) time.
The veneer is about 2" and that`s just enough to give the look of a real column with lattice between them.Pretty cheap and real easy compared to the real thing.I do real stone,too.This stuff has it`s place.

I`d love a tv show.But,not Villa style.I want a babe with a tool belt co-hosting.I don`t know about all that deadline stuff,though.

[Otsa580]

Really nice work.

[NONHOG]

Great ! looking forward to more pics !
I still have a porch/overhang post rebuild/design/to finish up from my siding fiasco last fall . I'm ignoring it till Spring

[special-K]

That`s what Tyvek,tar paper,and plastic`s for .

Hey,thanks for the compliments...really.I don`t know if anyone noticed,but at the stairs the columns are narrower.I made them 1/2 the width to look like the stairs are built into the centers of the columns.I want to re-do their steps with the poly lumber(I call it syn-board) risers and some sort of composite product (like trex) for the treads.That`s what we`d do on the porch floor,too.Right now it`s all dryed out splintery and warped pressure treated wood that was never nailed right.Around here most want maintainence-free on the exterior.

[va_tlc]

yep, very nice work tim. that really made the whole house look much better, im sure youll be getting a call back from those folks. ya know a good carpenter is getting harder and harder to find these days.