Pretty Fast

Well they tore open an 8x16 wall out that had 3 large windows to this gapping hole to a new window and door leading out of my kitchen to what soon will be a new 10x24 deck. Then I can rip out the old slider and and install 2 large windows there and then just to the left of that a new front door better located in my opinion leading to another 10x24 deck.

So shall have 2 spaces outside to, Hmmm I dont really entertain but I guess I will have the room, lol.

 

but now you can entertain

when will this be finished? i need to fix up our porch, taking forever to do it

 

Well my goal is entire house finished by end of August. Got to tear down old deck still, will paint the house with a very light minty like green and white trim. Will also have all the solar light around both decks, already have the driveway and walk way lined.

So you get to tackle a porch?

 

sounds like a great goal. just keep plugging away, you'll get it.

well, the porch...the support beams started coming off the braces that connected it to the house. so we took off the floor boards last year, and haven't done anything since. we kinda want to get it fixed up before the end of summer, don't want to go through another winter with it like this - last winter was mild compared to what we normally get and dont' want to chance a hard winter.

now, i dont' know anything about doing work like this...only relevant class i took was woodshop, but that was back in 6th grade, 11 years ago.

 

k so you have a wood porch, wood frame with wood uprights that hold the roof that cover the porch??

 

this is what i'm looking at:

 

looks like a deck and they used Simpson strong tie connecters. Easy fix, use CDA wood and just copy the boards that are there. Will likely be 2x6 frame at the lightest and 2x4 tops use a nail to space your boards appart on top and also make sure the boards run in the direction away from the house, not running in the same direction of with a slight down angle away from the house.

 

question: what do you mean make sure the boards run away from the house?

 

Okay see your floor joists that are left after you took up the part you walk on? Those joists need to run in the same direction or parallel to the house. The boards you then put on top of them joists should run in the oposite direction crossing the joists for support. The reason for this is to allow water to flow away from the house and when it is set so the side furthest away from the house is set a bit lower it will allow water to wisk away from the home to prevent rotting.

 

so, the support boards need to go the other way?

when the floor boards were on, they went across those boards...



the black mark is the door, the green are the support beams, the blue are the boards you walk on...

 

sorry so small, hope this helps..

 

so basically, i'm gonna have to switch the support boards to go the other way and the floor boards to come out from the house?

i updated my paint pic to put in the back door...

 

yup, alot of people do it as you had before including myself. It is easier to do it with supports going out from house and floor boards running with the house but is wrong way and in alot of areas is against code too.

 

so can i keep the frame up, or will it have to be taking down...and then the connectors will be placed on the side frame?

 

The deck or floor joists are best on 16" centers, 24" centers are okay but tend to be kind of weak. When a person lays the floor boards down they normally use a nail or screw the ones you use to put the boards down with to space the boards. This is done to allow water seep past and not stand on the boards.

 

Yes sir absolutely perfect.

 

ah, what? 16" centers? spacing?

 

Your blue boards, the outer frame, the black line you had at the ends that the blue boards connect too, you put a blue board on each end to make a frame or bax if you will, then on the black line ends of your drawing with a blue board on each other end connecting the two black line boards you will want all the blue line boards on 16" centers, that means measure the black board ends, and starting from on side working your way across the board measure off 16", 32", 48", 64", and so on, every 16", then center your floor joist blue boards over the marks, thus you will have a blue board joist every 16" from end to end off of the black line frame boards.

 

ah, so i should have a support board every 16 inches then? that makes sense...won't need to many support beams then.

gonna have to get some bigger floor boards than the ones we had. they'll have to be wider.