First off, I can’t thank everyone enough. You ALL have given me insight I wish I had before the project began. Fortunately, this cannot happen again, since I know where you all are (VBSEG)….

This has gotten really big. I’ve had several comments and involved engineers, architects, etc and there are many insurmountable problems. For reasons of litigation, I cannot express them here, but the porch has got to be removed entirely. Framing and all.

What IS for sure: When it goes back….The T&G will have 1/4″ slope per foot run. The beveled edge will NOT be the exposed side. The steps will NOT be T&G but rather bullnose stair tread. The T&G will be 5/4 and NOT bordered by a board running parallel to the house. There will be a continuous slope of soil underneath away from the foundation and the underside will be covered with 6 mil poly and a perf pipe below. Ventilation of the deck underside will be provided in a flow through fashion achieved by one of a few ideas we might discuss when this goes together again probably in the spring.

Then, when this gets to the construction phase, I’ll post the ideas and concepts for repair so you can pick it apart. I fully intend to do this RIGHT and make it LAST. As it is now, it doesn’t stand to live 5 years.

BTW: I double checked, the mahogany used is harvested from managed renewed forestation. It’s NOT stripped from rain forests. Thanks for bringing this up, it had me worried!