Hi all. I am interested in building from scratch a historic-style porch on the front of my house. The front has been extensively remodeled to remove some strange architectural details, so I have a free hand.
The house is a split entry, so the porch won’t be far off ground level, about one step. There is a six foot overhang, and the front of the house is 53 feet long. These are the rough dimensions of the porch.
My question is not on the constuction of the support, but of the laying of the porch flooring itself. I want a tonge and groove material, such as historic fir, or perhaps a modern man-made material. Both are about the same price for the area of the porch.
If I use fir, does the whole surface of the board need to be sealed with something, or can I just do the final surface? I am interested in the fir for two reasons: it will give the look and “sound” of a historic porch, and I know with proper care it can last a century or more.
I do NOT want this to look like a deck surface, so no exposed fasteners. Actually what I want to know is how best to do the edges. I seem to remember antebellum homes’ porches in my home town as running the boards perpendicular to the front elevation, and the boards not having any butt joints, in other words if the porch was eight feet deep, each board was eight feet long. The ends of the boards are frequently visible as you walk up to the porch. Does this sound right?
Also, is there some sort of board that is used for edging or as a starter board? I could route down the tonge or the groove on the fir, but since the boards are only about 3 inches wide, this does not leave much material for fastening purposes. I also seem to remember a slight overhang at the ends of the porch (where the first and last boards are), which further complicates matters.
I have looked in vain for a construction book on how to build a historic porch from start to finish. Anyone know of one?
So to make a long question short, I want to know how to lay a historic-style porch floor.
Replies
I'd just go to my local lumber yard and ask for straight grain fir T and G porch flooring!
They'll stock me up with exactly what U are talking about.
Run the T and G perp to the house...not parallel. Running perp..as U remember....lets the T and G do it's job ......gutters any water out and away from the house. That's whay they lasted.....they might get a little wet.....but it's all run off and given a chance to dry.
All I've seen and just run straight from the house......with a larger quarter round mould at the house line ...covering that joint.
The layout is set so ya can rip off a T on one side and a G on the other .....balancing each side....leaving more than 1/2 on both boards. The overhang can usually be fudged to give ya almost a full board on each side.
The ends are usually just cut straight ......and left open. No breadbox to trap moisture.
Not sure if the old (100 yrs or so) one were coated 4 sides....but wood's not like the old days ...so I'd say a coating all the way around....or at least top and bottom would help greatly.
Make sure the tops has several coats and the exposed cut ends are painted up tight.
For wrap around porches woven corners are pretty common.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Thanks for the tips, Jeff. Running the T&G parrellel to the house would save me a lot of money, with less scrap. Also this porch is on the south side of the house, and gets almost no weather on it as it is.
Carl
< 33314.2 in reply to 33314.1
I'd just go to my local lumber yard and ask for straight grain fir T and G porch flooring!>
Here in the NE, I have always used CVG Fir, only see the plain sawn in Yellow Pine, and it's considered 2nd rate.
I have also taken apart old porches and found what looks like either first growth Yellow Pine or Heart Pine(very resinous). Either way, it is always Vertical Grain(quarter sawn). I believe that is because of the expansion characteristics of quartered wood.
Edited 7/29/2003 9:26:17 PM ET by DAVEHEINLEIN
as jeff said.. prime all 6 sides
end treatment is personal preference.... most let the butt ends show.. some used a trim piece.. the trim piece was ususally piece of floring with the tongue cut off..
the ends can be matched so they will fit into the groove of the trim piece.. or the can be square cut and the trim piece can have both the tongue and groove ripped off..
fir flooring today usually come in 1x4.. but in the past a lot of it was also 1x3
in addition to the priming we would also use a SS nail.. either pneumatic or hand nail..
if i had a job to do i'd use my bostich floor stapler with SS staples..
make sure you build in at least 1/8" to 1/4" per foot of pitch to the outside.. if there is a rail , and it is solid , it will probably be shingled.. this would have a full width scupper detail to drain any water that blows in...
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
Thanks for the tips. I am not sure what an SS nail or staple is, though. I was planning on using a pneumatic stapler like I used inside on my oak floor: is this the same thing?
Carl
yes, same thing.. you can get Stainless Steel staples for itMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Build historic? Is that like making antiques? ;)
Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
Ha! You have been the first to notice that paradox. The idea behind my remodeling is to create a "timeless" American house by going back to some of the features that make people think of "home."
I have increased the size of the trim around my windows and doors to be more in proportion to the size of the house, not being happy with the standard brick molding currently available. The house originally came with a 6 foot eave in the front, a 4 foot wide half-balcony under that, and a 5 foot wide cement walk across the the front. I tore off the faux balcony and am going to build an historic style front porch with pillars that connect the large overhang with the ground. If anyone has ever been to George Washington's Mount Vernon, I plan to build a version of the back porch there that overlooks the water, but on the front of my house.
I also resided the upper level using vinyl siding that looks like cedar shakes, and it looks great over the common brick on the lower half. Reminicent of a New England shake design. With the replacement of windows with divided lites ( the originals were a single pane of glass), an older, more established look is being acheived that is more in line with the rest of the homes in my neighborhood.
While it is a lot of hard work, doing the work all by myself is satisfying and allows me to have a lot of creative freedom while saving money. I know this can be a sorce of terror to many who hear a homeowner speak this way, but I am not painting the house pink or placing Greek statues in the front yard. As a matter of fact, my house has started to blend into the foliage, and this is what I wanted.
Check out Tendura.
http://www.tendura.com/home.htm
Sounds great to me!
IMO too many people think of the home as separate from the ground around it. (The essence of a townhouse?) I like to think of living on the lot with the house just being the primary shelter during bad weather... The vegetation around makes a huge difference in the comfort, energy efficiency, and value of any home.
Good luck with your project!Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
replacement of windows with divided lites
What did you do for windows? I am thinking of Marvin.
I used sash kits from Kolbe and Kolbe, out of Wisconsin. The original windows in my house are not standard sizes anymore, and I was able to find replacement sashes (just the wooden frame with the glass in it) so I didn't have to resize the window holes or replace any trim. Each window takes about 1/2 hour to change out once you get the hang of it. Each window comes with thermopane glass, and the options I got were low E glass and divided lites inside the sealed glass, so I get the effect of vintage divided lites, but the window is easy to clean, and aluminum cladding on the exterior. The windows come with replacement tracks that allow you to tilt the top and bottom sashes in for easy cleaning. I also have 1 3/4 sashes, and this was no problem, as they offer a wide selection of options tailored towards historic renovations. I can't recommend them enough, and have been very happy with them since I put them in last year.